Counterblow
by simpleeawkward
Summary: Under Tsunade's orders, Sakura investigates Danzo's destroyed home, only to find out that she is actually his long lost granddaughter. To avenge her biological family, she leaves Konoha to kill Sasuke and winds up training under Madara. And when Madara orders Sakura to heal and take care of a certain someone, things only seem to go awry from there. ItaSaku.
1. Chapter 1

Hi, this is my first fanfiction. Haha. Enjoy?

Summary:

Under Tsunade's orders, Sakura investigates Danzo's mostly destroyed home, only to find out that she is actually his long lost granddaughter. To avenge her biological family, she leaves Konoha to find Sasuke and kill him, despite all the pain. Will the other raven-haired, Sharingan-wielding enemy be able to change her mind?

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

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Counterblow

Chapter 1

It is a sunny day in Konoha – the kind that has people bustling about without a care, putting off their work because it is just so beautiful outside. Despite all the internal and external problems going around, the weather just brought about great moods. One pink haired girl runs towards a familiar tent. She finds her teacher inside the tent – the Hokage, with her trusty assistant at her side.

"Ah, Sakura, you're here," says Tsunade.

"Yes, you called?" responds Sakura.

"I have a mission for you," Tsunade begins, "I need you to comb through Shimura Danzo's home...or what is left of it."

"W-What? Why me? I mean, I'm not the best one at investigations. Shikamaru can do a better job, I believe." Sakura doesn't want to look through the man who ruined the love of her life's life.

"I think that there will be things that might assist in our investigation over Danzo and I can't trust anyone else besides you and Shizune on this, but since Shizune is busy helping me, there's only you."

"O-Oh okay."

"Here's the mission brief. His address and the items you should be looking for are in there."

"Okay."

"I expect a full report in two days."

"I understand."

"You may go."

"Thank you, shishou." She leaves the tent and walks back to her own designated tent. She opens the folder after checking that there is no one around. After going through the mission brief, she walks towards where the address said Danzo's house was. She finds it with no problem, but it is hard to recognize through all the rubble that's left. She hesitantly walks in, past what was supposed to be the door.

She looks at the traditional Japanese-styled home. It was lifted a little off the ground, like most Japanese homes that had heating on the ground. Most of the walls were torn off the ground during the attack on Konoha. The ground was charred and so was a lot of the furniture. There was barely anything left undamaged.

After an hour of searching around the remains of Danzo's home, Sakura figures that there is nothing – that is, until she steps on a charred wooden panel that creaked under her feet. She steps back a few stems and bends down to the ground and examines the panel. She feels around the floor with her hands, using chakra to enhance her senses at her fingertips. She soon discovers that she can lift the panel, like a secret passage. She finds a small ladder underneath and slowly moves down the steps. It is dark, but the area was fairly untouched by the attack. She feels around the ceiling and finds a string. She pulls it, but nothing happens.

"Oh right, no electricity," she says, scoffing at her own stupidity.

She digs into her pocket and pulls out her keys. Attached to her keys is a small flashlight keychain in the shape of a frog, courtesy of Naruto. She presses the button that turns it on, and flashes it around the room. There is barely anything in the room besides a futon, a table, some floor pillows and a bookshelf. This had to be where Danzo normally slept at night.

"So he was always scared that someone would attack him in his sleep," she mutters.

She looks around a bit more, lifting the futon to check for anything under it. Nothing. She moves to the table and lifts it slightly, checking the ground under the table with her chakra enhanced fingertips. Still nothing. She moves to the bookshelf and slides it a little to the side. She feels the wall behind the bookshelf and still finds nothing. She feels the ground under it, and finally finds a small passageway.

But it is locked. She sighs and flashes her flashlight around some more, checking for traps or safety precautions the evil man had set up. Obviously if it was locked, it had to have something important in there. She looks around a bit more, checks under each of the floor pillows. She still finds nothing. She looks through the books on the bookshelf, flipping through each book. Finding nothing else, she goes back to the small passageway under the bookshelf. She takes out a senbon and starts picking at the lock. After a few minutes, Sakura starts getting frustrated at the lock. She sighs and releases the senbon for a bit and leans against the wall next to the passageways.

"Breathe, Sakura," she whispers, "you can do this. He's not going to attack you. He can't attack you. Sasuke-kun killed him already." She trembles slightly at the thought of the evil that Danzo had been capable of committing. Tsunade had filled her in already about what Danzo had made Itachi do, though it was a highly protected secret. Sakura thought back to when Tsunade had been explaining to her why Danzo was killed by Sasuke.

X

_ "Enter, Sakura," says Tsunade from inside the tent. _

_ Sakura listens and enters the tent, bowing in respect as the tent's opening falls back to close. She looks up at her shishou and awaits the reason why she was summoned. Sakura looks around briefly, realizing that Shizune isn't there. _

_ "Okay," says Tsunade, her voice serious, "I need you to go assist Shizune in her autopsy of Danzo's body."_

_ "He's…dead?" asks Sakura. Shimura Danzo's imposing atmosphere was always able to instill fear into her. _

_ "Yes, he's dead," confirms Tsunade, "Uchiha Sasuke was the one to kill him, supposedly." Sakura's eyes widen briefly. "You met with him after he had already done the deed."_

_ "Oh," says Sakura. "I'm…I'm not sure why he would kill Danzo unless Danzo was in his way or something…"_

_ "You don't have to defend him, Sakura."_

_ "But-"_

_ "I know why Uchiha did it."_

_ "Why?" Both of them are hesitant. _

_ "What I'm about to tell you cannot leave this tent no matter what. No one else should hear about it besides us. I mean it, Sakura. You can't even tell Naruto."_

_ "I understand."_

_ "Danzo was the one who ordered Itachi to kill his clan."_

_ "What? Why? How-"_

_ Tsunade holds up a hand to signal Sakura to stop talking. "The Uchiha clan was planning to revolt. They still believed that Konoha belonged to them. Uchiha Itachi was the one who notified the Sandaime." Sakura's eyes widen yet again. "Danzo…well, though he's ignorant and annoying and completely out of his mind, always thinks that he's doing the best for Konoha, so he ordered Itachi to decimate his clan."_

_ "But…Sasuke…"_

_ "Itachi failed that mission…but he begged the Sandaime to protect Sasuke before he left Konoha," says Tsunade, "Sasuke wound up growing up in Konoha, but with a lot of pent up anger, as you already know…It was all kept a secret from Sasuke and the rest of Konoha because it was something that would inadvertently be seen as something completely wrong – making Uchiha Itachi kill his own clan, save for his brother, and then leave Konoha."_

_ "That's…"_

_ "He had to leave. Danzo told him that he was the one to do it because he could be used as a scapegoat…but Danzo also planned to have Itachi killed as well, but Itachi didn't take into consideration the fact that he wouldn't be able to kill his own brother…and besides that, there may have been other reasons. Itachi also threatened that if anything happens to Sasuke, he would tell Konoha's secrets to other hidden villages, which obviously, Danzo would not allow."_

_ "So…Itachi joined Akatsuki?"_

_ "To keep an eye on it."_

_ "So…Itachi's not…"_

_ "He is and always has been one of Konoha's most talented and valued shinobi."_

_ "Then…it's a shame he's dead."_

_ "Yes, a true shame."_

X

Sakura opens her eyes. She had apparently dozed off. She looks around, and finds that she was still in Danzo's basement bedroom. She looks back at the small passageway. She picks up the senbon again and tries to pick the lock yet again. She fails. She sighs and knocks on the passage door. Wood. She lifts her arm and pats her elbow twice before bringing it down hard on the wood. The withered wood breaks under her assault. She lifts the broken wood pieces and breaks off the rest of the wood that remained blocking her view.

She looks down after cleaning up the door of the passage away from the passage. It is a small hole. How did he get down at all? She barely can fit herself. She lowers her body and lands lightly on her feet. The ceiling was only about six inches or so above her head. She flashes her flashlight around slowly, taking in her surroundings. It is a really small room, probably only 8 feet by 8 feet. It is rather empty, though the room is clearly old.

There is only a large portrait hanging on the wall next to her. There are two people in the portrait – a man and a woman, both fairly young, probably only in their twenties, but the withered colors proved that the photo is old. The man looks like a younger version of Danzo, but with vibrant green eyes. Sakura figures it is his son. She would have to ask Tsunade about Danzo having children. She looks at the woman in the photo. It is clear that the two are husband and wife, since his arm is around her affectionately. She has large blue eyes and fair skin. She is pretty, which for some reason surprises Sakura, but what surprises her the most is the fact that the wife has pink hair. Taking into consideration that the portrait is fairly faded, Sakura deduces that had the photo been new, the shade of pink would have been the same as her own hair shade. The green eyes that the husband has would have been the same as hers' as well.

"I probably look exactly like their child would have," she whispers. She wouldn't question her own lineage. She looks like her own parents as well. "It's probably just a coincident." Pushing it to the back of her mind, she looks around the room, feeling the walls and ground for anything important again. Finding nothing, she lifts the portrait and checks the back, expecting to find nothing. Instead, there is a note attached to the back. She unfolds the paper and reads the contents.

___March 29, XX85_

_My Dear Son, Haruto_

_ I do not know why I bothered to write this letter…but it must have been because I cannot get over your death. I know that it is because of me that this fate has befallen you and beloved Sana. I cannot feel enough pain in my heart right now. I cannot apologize enough to Sana's parents. If you two see them up there, please tell them that I am so sorry their daughter's honorable life was cut short because of me. She was only a civilian. Not a ninja. I will never comprehend the reason they decided to take you two and your newborn daughter's life. It must have been too easy for them. Taking the life of a newborn child and a civilian woman. You must have tried so hard to protect them. I keep replaying what I vision had happened to you three in my mind and I cannot stop my heart from aching. _

_ I will never get over the death of you three, my family. Now, I have no family, no home. I live in fear, wondering when they are going to come for me. I know who had done it. The damn Uchiha's. They know that I am a force to be reckoned with, so they aim to destroy me. To crush me. I will not allow them that pleasure. I will destroy them. Each and every one of them. _

_ I know that my anger and vengeance will not bring you three back, but I want them to know how it feels to lose your family – your world. This is the first moment that I wish I had never met Hiruzen. That I had never become a ninja. That I had just lived a life of peacefulness as a civilian like you two should have. I regret not giving you two the life that you always wanted. A life away from hiding and pretending. I was a bad father to you. _

_For all of that, I am truly sorry. _

_I'm sorry, Haruto. Sana. Their child. Mana. A truly beautiful name that will never be bestowed upon the well-loved child who would have been the embodiment of her name._

_I'm sorry, Sana's parents. Your daughter's death falls on my shoulders. Her unhappiness…her pain…I wish I could take it all away._

_I'm sorry, Suzume. It's all my fault that our son was never able to be happy. You never wanted any of this to happen for him. I should have heeded your words. _

_ Remorsefully,_

_ A terrible father_

At the end of the letter, Sakura finds herself with tears flowing from her eyes. This letter holds, by itself, secrets beyond what she was looking for when she first entered the home of the notorious killer. It justifies him, and that scares her. Sakura quickly folds up the letter and places it safely inside the folder Tsunade had handed her. This can not wait. She would bring it to Tsunade right away. Right before she leaves, she looks at the portrait again. She would have to investigate this Haruto and Sana. The resemblance she bears to them was uncanny.

X

"Sakura, you're here early," says Tsunade, "Is something wrong with your mission?"

"Yes," says Sakura, "There's something wrong." She takes out the letter and hands it to Tsunade. "I found myself sympathizing with him. That's what's wrong."

Sakura's eyes are still swollen. Tsunade looks at her questioningly and takes the letter, opens it, and reads. Her eyes widen as she reads. Her eyes get watery, but she doesn't cry. After she finishes reading, she doesn't immediately look up at Sakura. She opens her mouth to talk, but no words come out. No one ever knew that Danzo suffered this much at the hands of the Uchiha's. It is much unexpected. She closes her eyes and folds up the letter again. She waits a few seconds before opening her eyes again. Her amber eyes land on Sakura, very serious.

"You are-"

"Not allowed to speak of this to anyone, I know. I wouldn't even dream of it."

"Good…I'm still going to need the report in the morning, describing everything. Is there nothing else at his house?"

"There was a portrait of Haruto-san and Sana-san, I'm assuming. It was two levels underground."

"I see. Danzo's family is not to be spoken of outside of me and you. Do not even tell Shizune. The less people know, the better."

Sakura nods. "I understand."

"Okay, I'm going to need you to do some research on this Haruto…Sana and Suzume. I'm assuming Mana didn't live long enough for anything to be documented about her."

"I figured that…according to the letter, the birth was kept a secret, just like Haruto's existence."

"But, Haruto was supposedly a ninja."

"And Sana was a civilian. There wouldn't be much information on her at all."

"That's true…and Haruto could have been specially trained by Danzo."

"Like Root."

"Like Root," repeats Tsunade. "Okay. I will go down there to check out Danzo's residence with you later, and you will have to show me the portrait. I will also need you to question any older Root members, preferably…ones around your parents age right now and see if you can find out anything. Also, look through the documents that we still have left of both civilians and ninja. See if you can find any of their names."

"Okay. I understand."

X

Sakura walks back towards her own tent. She just finished briefing Tsunade about what she found out from some older Root members. Her mind is still reeling in all the stunning information she just acquired. Reaching her tent and walking inside, she sits down on a chair. Running a hand through her hair, she puts the pieces together.

_"Haruto-san was always quiet. He never talked much and I never saw him around much. There really isn't anything significant about him that I recall. There was only about one time that I saw him outside. He was with a civilian, I think. I remember thinking she was really pretty, but I don't remember her that clearly."_

_ "Can you tell me more about Haruto-san?"_

_ "Uh, yeah, sure. He was…rather talented, but there were rumors running around that he wasn't even a genin…that he didn't even attend the academy."_

_ "No one reported it?"_

_ "We couldn't."_

_ "Why not?"_

_ "Danzo-sama would always catch us talking about it and he would always be furious… now that I think about it, it was rather strange."_

_ "I see…well, is there anything else that you remember? I heard from some others that Haruto-san was rather popular among the girls."_

_ He chuckles. "Yes, he was always really popular. I think you would find out more if you asked my wife. She was with me that day I bumped into him on the street. She almost divorced me because she said that he was really attractive and asked me why I wasn't as attractive as him. I retorted by asking her why she wasn't as attractive as his partner. Oh, that's right." He paused. "The woman he was with had pink hair, much like you."_

_ "Yes, I know that."_

_ "My wife probably remembers the partner more clearly than I do, since I compared them. You should ask her." _

_ "Okay, thank you. Where can I find her?"_

_ "She is probably at the medical tent helping out."_

_ "Okay, thank you for your help."_

_ "No problem."_

After that, Sakura successfully tracked down his wife. His wife had recoiled from Sakura, stating how her mother almost ruined her life. Sakura was surprised, of course. Sakura then introduced herself and the wife automatically apologized, having heard of Sakura before. Sakura then asked the wife what the woman looked like back then.

_"She looked exactly like you do. Maybe a few years older, but with blue eyes, but I would never forget her face. She looked exactly like you."_

And, following that, through the undamaged remaining documents, she actually traced down Sana's heritage. Tracking down Sana's living classmates, she found out more about the woman. Again, the classmate mistook Sakura for Sana's child.

_"Oh, I'm so sorry. It's just…it's just that you look so much like her. I was really close friends with her as a child. She had such a sunny disposition – able to put a smile on anyone's face, really. She…she was a treasure. It's such a shame."_

_ "What do you mean?"_

_ "Sana was collateral damage, I heard. S-She…she was caught in between a fight between some shinobi. There was only one body found with hers'. I heard he was in Root or something. I-I-I was so worried when I found out what happened to her. That Danzo guy, you know? He didn't allow any of us to find out what happened in the autopsy. I tried to find him several times to ask him what happened to little Mana, but he would never tell me."_

_ "I see, thank you so much for your time."_

_ "W-Wait," said the woman as Sakura got up to leave, "If you're looking for more information, maybe you should look for anything Danzo left behind. Every time I saw him after the death of Sana and that guy she was with, he would always just glare, but it was never directed towards me, I mean…I mean…"_

_ "I understand. Thank you."_

_ "If you find out what ever happened, please let me know. She was a dear childhood friend of mine."_

_ "Sure thing, miss."_

_ "Thank you."_

It's strange how everyone thought she looked like Sana.

"I'm back!" announces Mebuki.

"Welcome back, mom!" responds Sakura. Before she knows what she is doing, Sakura is already standing in front of her mother.

"Is something wrong, Sakura?"

"Um…mom, I have a really weird question to ask you."

"Can't be any weirder than that question you had about the Uchiha boy years ago, right?" Sakura looks down.

"No, it's actually weirder. By a lot."

"Okay, Sakura. You're scaring me."

"Um…I...amIadopted?" Sakura continues staring at the ground.

"What was that?" She can hear the smile in her mom's voice falter.

"Am I adopted?" Sakura repeats, slower. Her heart is pounding in her chest. She knows the answer, but she just wants to verify. There is no way that she is not her parents' child. It is impossible…right?

"…"

"Mom?" asks Sakura, seconds later. She lifts her emerald eyes to find her mother's filled with tears. "Mom, what's wrong?"

"…W-Who told you?"

Sakura can feel her world crumbling around her as her mom's tears fall. Sakura doesn't know how she wound up on the ground, but all she knows is that she was on the ground, staring at her own feet in disbelief.

X

"So…what happened? H-How…how did this…?" Sakura asks. She is sitting across the table from both her parents. Kizashi's arms are wrapped around his weeping wife.

Normally, she is the stronger one.

"On…" Kizashi starts. His voice is weak. He knows it. He takes a deep breath and opens his mouth to speak again. "On the day that we found you on the front steps…" He averts his eyes from Sakura's confused ones. "We had…we had just lost our daughter. It was a stillbirth…and it had just been a few hours when we found you on our steps…and it was…"

Mebuki interrupts. "I thought that God was responding to my prayers. That they gave me you. That some parents who didn't deserve you gave you to me because they knew that I would take care of you better. That…That…" Her voice cracks. "I just… I couldn't…I can't… Sakura, you are _my _daughter. No matter what."

"I know, mom, I know…I just…you guys couldn't tell me? These 16 years…I've pretty much been living a lie!"

"No, Sakura!" argues Mebuki. "You are my daughter. It is not a lie. It will n-never be a lie…" She cries into Kizashi's shoulder again.

Sakura takes a deep breath. Her heart is beating erratically. How can this be? This morning, she was happy with her family and now… she finds out that the two people who took care of her these past 16 years are actually not even related to her. She has more to say, but she has a mission to complete.

"Okay, I understand." Mebuki turns around at a speed that probably can break her neck. Sakura's voice doesn't sound the same. It is as if she isn't even there. Like she is just doing something she has to.

"Don't talk like that, Sakura," says Kizashi.

Mebuki searches her daughter's eyes. Figuring out that Sakura has a mission to complete, she takes Kizashi's hand and gives it a light squeeze.

"Okay, darling," says Mebuki.

"What happened on the day that you found me? Is there anything else you know surrounding my birth?" Mebuki looks at Kizashi.

"Your father's name is Shimura Haruto and your mother's is Hojo Sana. They were...they were killed after your birth, I think."

"Why?"

"Some shinobi were after them. I think because Danzo-san was Haruto's father."

"…Who were the shinobi?"

"All I know is that at least one of them had the sharingan."

"You…you guys didn't say anything…when I told you that I wanted to be an Uchiha woman someday."

"It was ironic…we couldn't tell you the truth. It would hurt."

Sakura scoffs. "How do you think I feel right now?"

"Sakura, you will not talk to your family like that."

"Well, is there anything else that you know?"

Kizashi looks to Mebuki. Mebuki opens her mouth and speaks.

"From what we could tell the day after we found you…during the investigation…" says Mebuki. Her voice is shaky. "Whoever the shinobi were…they were trying to kidnap you. Your parents tried to protect you. Hojo Sana was a civilian and…your father was a Root member, I believe. After the shinobi k-killed them, Shimura Danzo-san showed up...I think. By that time, you were already in our home, safe. He didn't see you. He fought off the shinobi…but he didn't kill them. Instead, he did something – I'm not sure what, and the shinobi simply walked off, like nothing happened."

"You guys never told anyone that I'm actually Shimura Danzo's granddaughter?"

"No," says Mebuki, "You were given birth to secretly…so if we even told a soul, you would have been put in danger, I think."

"We told the Hokage the day after, on the 29th, that you were born the day before at the time that our daughter was given birth to."

"I see." Sakura sighs. "I understand."

"Sakura…n-no matter what anyone says…no matter what happens, you are my daughter," says Mebuki. Sakura nods.

"I know. I'm sorry for acting out before," says Sakura. Kizashi lets out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. He reaches over the table and takes Sakura's hand into his own.

"You are our daughter, Haruno Sakura." Sakura nods and rotates her hand in his to hold his hand back.

"I know."

X

Sakura walks towards Tsunade's tent again. She waits as Tsunade calls her inside. Figuring it might take a while, Sakura looks around…trying to spot anyone she knows in the midst of the people working to rebuild Konoha. The sky looks gloomier, supposedly.

"Come in, Sakura." Sakura does as told. She notices that she's not the only one in the room. Sakura nods briefly at Kakashi, Yamato, Sai and Naruto as she walks inside. They just came back from a mission, apparently. She walks up to Tsunade's desk and puts a piece of paper down.

"My mission report."

"Thank you." Tsunade looks towards the other four and crooks her head to the side a little bit to signal the other four to walk outside. The four nodded and stepped outside. They wouldn't be able to hear with the privacy jutsu set inside the tent. "Is there anything else that you've found out?"

"No. Aside from the fact that the Uchiha's were the one who attack Danzo's family, there was nothing else that I could find. Everything that I did find out was in there. There was nothing very important."

"Okay, in that case, you can go back to the medical tents and help Shizune out. While you're going out, can you send the four of them back inside?" Sakura nods.

X

"How did I get here?" Sakura asks to no one in particular. She isn't in Konoha anymore. She looks around. She was far from Konoha – probably near the border of Lighting Country. She has been traveling for probably two weeks now. She lost count of the days.

After her meeting with Tsunade, she had walked back to her tent slowly, thinking of what to do. Her sadness at finding out that she was adopted was overwhelming. Although her parents were as loving as ever, it would never be the same. Sakura had grown up not knowing who her parents truly were and in fear of her biological grandfather without knowing it. She had basically spit on her biological parents' sacrifice. They fought for her to live. To probably get to know her grandfather and be strong for them. To remember them. To think of them lovingly because probably no other living person could.

By the time she got back to her own tent, she had already made up her mind to leave and avenge her parents. Though most of the Uchiha's were already dead, there was still Sasuke. The all-important Sasuke. The one who killed her grandfather. She had to kill him. Before she knew it, she had already left Konoha. Everyone thought that she was simply stepping out for a mission. They barely asked her nowadays since everyone was mostly working on other things. They only asked people who were suspicious and people who were ambitious.

Suddenly, Sakura feels someone coming towards her at an insanely rapid speed. She quickly ducks to the side before the person can even touch her. Sakura whirls around and looks at her attacker. Freezing in her spot, she finds herself eye to eye with Uchiha Madara. Sakura stumbles backwards in fear. She shakes violently.

"Ah…Tsunade's apprentice, if I'm correct," says Madara. Sakura doesn't dare speak. He looks her up from head to toe. "Doesn't seem like you're on a mission."

"I…I left Konoha."

"Obviously." Sakura doesn't speak. "How about this? I'm short of many Akatsuki members, as you probably know. How about you join? You're a medic, are you not?"

"Y-Yes."

"If you join and swear loyalty to Akatsuki, I'll let you live until your usefulness has run dry." Sakura hesitantly nods. "Is there nothing that you can say? I wasn't aware that The Slug Princess took in a mute apprentice. Really, the Senju clan is nothing compared to the Uchiha. Even in our tastes for followers…"

At the mention of the Uchiha clan, Sakura's senses are thrown back into her. "I'll join…and heal. Only if you train me."

A smirk found its way onto his lips. "Well, well, well, she speaks. And she negotiates!" He lets out a haughty laugh. Shivers find their way down Sakura's spine. "Fine. I'll train you; however, no one is to know of what I ask you to do." Sakura hesitantly nods. What is he going to ask her to do?

A million thoughts run through her mind. What would he possibly ask her to do? The Akatsuki wants to capture the Tailed Beasts, a fact. Is he going to ask her to help capture the Kyuubi? After all, she is one of Naruto's best friends. Her assistance in capturing him would definitely weaken Naruto, especially since he would be hurt.

"Come," Madara says as he turns. Sakura knows that she is barely a threat, which is why he can turn his back to her. She doesn't dare take advantage of it. Instead, she obediently follows him. Madara walks slowly. Leisurely, even. Sakura slowly walks behind him. After only a few minutes, they seem to arrive at their destination. "We're here."

Sakura looks up at the building in front of her. It looks like a regular cottage.

"Go inside and heal him. You will be staying here and helping the person in there survive, no matter what the costs. If he dies, I will hold it against you. Also, put these in." He hands her a black jar. Sakura takes the jar into her hands. She doesn't look away from his eyes to see what's inside the jar.

"I understand."

"He is not allowed to die."

"Okay."

"If he dies, you die." He then disappears. Sakura lifts up the jar. Her eyes widen. In the jar are two eyeballs. But, that's not what's surprising. They were two sharingan-wielding eyeballs. "It can't be."

She rushes inside the small cottage and lo and behold, on the bed nearest to the window lays the one and only Uchiha Itachi in all his dying glory.


	2. Chapter 2

Heyyyy! Thanks for the reviews and stuff. :) Anyways, I apologize if the characters seem OOC. D: I actually don't follow Naruto. I think I got lost somewhere after Gaara almost died. Anyways, I'll try to fix it? I hope. Haha. Anddddd if anything seems weird, just know that they'll be resolved/revealed later on. :)

Anywho, enjoy? :] Please reviewww. They make me happy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

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Chapter 2

Sakura stares at the figure on the bed, utter shock written all over her face. She had expected it and had seen it coming two seconds ago, but to actually _see_ **The **Uchiha Itachi _alive_…there was no way she could have avoided looking like a fish out of water. Her mouth opens and closes. No sound comes out.

The Uchiha simply looks like he's sleeping…or slumbering…or dead. Fuck, Sakura curses in her head, he can't die yet. She slowly walks towards the bed, taking quiet and hesitant steps. She is terrified that he's just faking it and is going to spring up and choke her to death because he easily can do so. After taking enough steps to be just arm's length away from the bed, she reaches a shaky arm out towards his chest.

When her fingertips make contact with the warmth, she quickly snatches her arm back, surprised. He doesn't move. She puts the jar down on the floor next to her.

She reaches forward again and this time, presses both her palms to his chest. Soon, they start glowing a mint green color. After the checkup, she moves her hands away from him. She moves one hand to his forehead. It starts glowing, making sure that whatever pain he will feel is numbed.

"He's unconscious," she tells herself softly, "You can do this. You _have_ to do this."

She bends over to pick up the jar again.

She looks at the eyes.

Sasuke's eyes.

Sasuke.

She feels the normal feeling of love grace over her, but with that love, also comes the reality of his betrayal. She closes her eyes as her eyebrows furrow. The harsh feelings she and Naruto felt over the past few years come every time she thinks of Sasuke, and while she still is deeply in love with him, thinking about that love just brings about more pain. Especially now. Now with the knowledge that his clan plotted to kill her parents and succeeded. And the knowledge that Sasuke killed her grandfather. She opens her eyes again. She feels like she is suffocating as tears sting her eyes, causing her to close them again, before she starts crying. She forces her lungs to take deep breaths.

Soon, she is calm again.

Slowly, she opens the jar and tips it over, letting the lid rest on her other hand. She represses the urge to gag as Sasuke's eyeballs roll out of the jar and into her hand.

She has to do this to get stronger. She has to do this to defeat Sasuke – to avenge her family.

X

Plopping down on a chair she pulled up next to Itachi's bed, Sakura runs a hand through her hair. She had taken off her forehead protector a few days ago, and over the past few days, Sakura had continued to heal Itachi. She constantly made sure that he was still under the anesthetic jutsu she learned from Tsunade.

A few problems niggle at her mind, stressing her out. For one, she is still trying to figure out what to do when he wakes up. Is he going to attack her? Is he going to let her try to cure his rare bronchial disease? How much better can he get before he wakes up? He was already significantly better and she can't keep him unconscious forever.

Sighing, she mutters, "Well, there's only one way to find out…" She lifts her hand to his forehead and presses a glowing finger to the middle of it.

At the touch, he lets out a grunt, opening his eyes slowly, his long, enviable eyelashes all but fluttering.

"Konoha," is all he whispers before he is sent into a coughing fit, his upper body springing up from the bed to lean over the side of the bed. Blood splatters onto the floor. Sakura flinches to the side a few steps, away from the dying shinobi and towards the foot of the bed. She watches in shock as the blood decorates the tiled floor. Though significantly better, he still has a long way to go to full recovery. His disease is tricky, but by no means incurable.

Then, her medic instinct kicks in. After all, he has been her patient for a few days already.

She almost walks closer to him to pat his back. Almost. But fear has her locked in place. So, she does nothing as he hurls out the red liquid. After a few moments, it stops. He lays back down on the bed. He glances at her briefly, then looks out the window.

"You're Sasuke's teammate," he points out. Sakura pauses, then nods. "Here to kill me once and for all?" Sakura pauses, then shakes her head. He quirks an eyebrow questioningly, now staring at the foot of the bed.

Sakura inhales sharply. At least he's not attacking her. "I'm here to heal you."

"Well, you can't. No one can," he responds. His voice is low and calm.

"That's not true… I can heal you. I have been doing so, bit by bit for a few days now." She hates how her voice sounds uncertain, un-medic-like.

Itachi finally looks at her, as if assessing her. "Why?"

"M-Madara sent me to heal you," she says, cursing the way that she stuttered. Confident medics definitely don't stutter. "I have to heal you."

"Madara sent _you_?" he asks. His eyebrows furrow and his eyes narrow into a glare.

"Yeah." If Itachi were someone else, she would have retaliated. Why _not_ her?

"Why?"

"I d-don't know." She's seriously turning into Hinata, isn't she?

"I mean, why you?"

"He…found me. Near here."

"And he just _decided_ to pick you up like a stray dog?" He sounds suspicious.

"I guess so?" She is unsure herself. From all the stories that she had heard of the notorious Uchiha…he wasn't at all like he was to her days ago. He wasn't supposed to be that…flippant…or easy-going. He hadn't done her _any_ harm. She had avoided thinking about Madara for the past few days as well. She just couldn't figure him out.

Silence takes over. Sakura almost swears that she hears crickets. She lets her mind drift off into questioning what it means to be a part of Akatsuki, now that the Uchiha mentioned Madara. She really couldn't figure it out. Sure, she defeated Sasori, but it was all because of Chiyo's help. Without Chiyo, she definitely wouldn't have survived. She was in no way or form in the same ranks as the past members. How could he -

"What are your qualifications?" Itachi asks, suddenly.

"Huh? W-What was that?" she asks, softly.

"Your qualifications," he repeats.

"O-Oh. I am the Godaime's apprentice," she says. As she mentions Tsunade, a nagging feeling reaches her, like she is forgetting something.

Then it hits her.

The man in front of her isn't her enemy.

He's Konoha's _hero_.

"Rank?"

"Chunin." Her voice is more confident. Though the man in front of her is intimidating, he isn't evil, she tells herself.

"Hm." He looks away from her again. After a few moments, Sakura figures that he isn't planning on speaking again soon. She takes the opportunity to look over his body. He looks normal. His weight looks normal. His facial expressions betray no pain. If it weren't for his horrendously pale complexion, she wouldn't have been able to tell that he was sick at all. She takes a deep breath.

"How…How long have you…?" She wants to slap herself for how dumb she sounds.

"A few years now." She gapes.

"You never thought to go get a medic to check on you?"

"Akatsuki has no medic."

"Well they do now," she mutters under her breath, turning her face away from him, thinking the Uchiha wouldn't hear her. When she looks up at him again, she realizes that he did, in fact, hear her.

"You're in Akatsuki?" His voice is emotionless.

"As of about a week ago, yes."

"Madara asked you?"

"Not really...I really had no options."

He sighs. He knows that Madara would have definitely killed her. Madara picked her up because he knew that if she did anything out of line, he could easily rid of her. Her skills as a kunoichi had nothing on him, but her skills as a medic, on the other hand, Madara could utilize. So he did. Itachi opens his mouth slightly to speak, but before he could say anything, he starts coughing again. This time, Sakura reaches over to pat his back. Out of pure habit and instinct.

After moments of coughing, he grabs her wrist roughly.

"Don't do that again." His voice is raspy.

"I'm sorry. It's a habit." Her voice is shaky again. He lets go of her wrist and she lets it fall limp next to her.

Silence reigns again. She looks at him again. He is looking out the window.

"Where's Sasuke?" he asks, quietly.

"I'm not sure," she responds.

"Do you know what happened after my fight with him?"

"…Not really."

"What do you know?" He turns to look at her again.

"…Sasuke took your eyes."

"Then these are Sasuke's," he concludes aloud. No wonder his eyesight is better.

Sakura nods, hesitantly. "Madara gave them to me. How do they feel?"

He ignores her question. "Why didn't you kill me and return to Konoha? Madara's not here."

She contemplates lying, but she doesn't know how good he is at determining truth from false. Sasuke was good at it, even with strangers, and this is his genius brother. So, she settles on avoiding the actual answer. She can't let him know that Danzo is her grandfather. After all, he is the one who ruined the Uchiha's as revenge. "Because I can't kill you."

He raises an eyebrow.

"You're a hero to Konoha." If that surprises him, he doesn't show it.

"You know," he states after a pause.

"I worked closely under Tsunade-sama."

"Hm." He seems like he's contemplating something. "Do you know what Sasuke is planning?"

"No. I don't know. He didn't come back to Konoha."

"How long as it been?"

"A month since your fight."

"He's planning on attacking Konoha."

"He already started to…"

He stares at her, as if asking her why she isn't in Konoha if it is under attack.

"Because I'm looking for him."

"He'd go to Konoha."

"I need to be stronger."

He quirks an eyebrow at her.

"I need to kill Sasuke," she whispers. There's no way she could avoid telling him. He would find out eventually. He could also _make_ her tell him. No point in hiding it, she repeatedly tells herself. As long as she doesn't mention what this has to do with Danzo, she should be fine.

"Get out."

"I have to heal you."

"I don't want it."

"Why not?"

"Because you are hunting my brother. He will live."

"Then kill me after I heal you. I have to heal you. And if you don't want me to go after Sasuke, then kill me before I can." For the first time, Itachi shows emotion. His eyes widen minutely. "If I can't avenge my own grandfather…then my life from here on out has no meaning." Sure, she didn't know Danzo when he was alive, and he struck fear into her whenever he was even around, but the fact that the Uchiha's plotted to kill Danzo's _son_ because Danzo was in their way…it didn't sit right with her. She didn't get to know her birth parents because of them. She didn't get to know her grandfather because of them. She knew her grandfather as an evil mastermind because of them.

She can't just let it go. Even if her target is Sasuke. The conflicting feelings show on her face. Watching her through the corner of his eyes, he watches as the pain and determination take their turns flashing across her eyes.

"I understand," he states, stoically.

"Thank you." He watches as a smile graces her features.

X

"What do you want to eat today?" asks Sakura, standing in the kitchen. She is dressed in civilian clothing that she bought in a town close by – a simple white t-shirt and black leggings.

It has been a month since Itachi agreed to let Sakura heal him.

"Anything's fine," he responds. He is still lying in bed, but he has a book in his hands.

"Really? You have no preference?"

"Aa."

"Okay, don't blame me if it doesn't suit your tastes then," she all but sang. "Then, even if you have to choke it down, you have to eat it."

He doesn't respond. Grinning deviously, she takes out a bag of rice flour. He glances briefly at the kitchen door before staring back at his book again. She has really begun talking a lot. It's annoying, but at the same time, it's comforting. It reminds him that he's still alive. Forcing the thoughts from his mind, he looks at the book, trying to focus on the words that he had been reading from the murder novel Sakura had found for them in the nearby town. It is a bad book. Horribly written…but there is nothing else for him to do. His sickness prevents him from doing anything laboring.

"Done!" Sakura announces. She comes out from the kitchen with two plates in hand. The girl had made dango. Itachi freezes in place as he takes in the smell of the delicious treat. "I'm going to force these down your throat."

He doesn't respond. She puts a plate on his lap. He doesn't move. She sits on the chair next to his bed.

"What? You really don't like dango?" she teases. "Figures. Sasuke hated sweets." She picks up a skewer and puts it into her mouth. "Mmmmm. So good."

After moments of staring at the plate in front of him, he picks up a skewer and eats the little flour balls. He shoots Sakura a smirk as he eats his dango. She stares at him, her mouth wide open.

"Bugs are going to fly into your mouth," he states after he finishes the stick. Sakura starts gaping even more.

"Did you just make a _joke_?" she almost screeches. He ignores her question and continues eating the dango. Really, how long has it been since he had them? "Y-You're eating _sweets_. Who _are_ you?"

He does nothing as she pinches herself. "Holy crap, I'm awake…Oh my god, I can't. This is…oh my god." She takes her plate and gets up from her seat. She hurriedly walks back to the kitchen and shuts the door behind her. Seconds later, he hears a string of profanities coming from one confused kunoichi.

He almost laughs, but instead, he smirks. He picks up another skewer as he stares out the window again.

X

Nudging the slumbering man in front of her, Sakura says, "Wake up."

Itachi's eyes snap open as he sits up.

"You've been out for a day already." He raises an eyebrow. Then, he remembers. The previous healing session. He must have fallen asleep. "Are you hungry? I'll prepare something." Surprisingly, he isn't. "Well, I need to eat something, so I'll go make you some anyways. I'll continue healing you after we eat, okay?" She doesn't expect him to answer. Instead, she simply turns and walks to the kitchen.

Itachi looks out the window. It's already spring. He has been stuck with Sakura for three months now. She usually is right by his side just in case his sickness works up, but every month, she disappears for three days or so, and comes back in terrible shape – usually looking like she's almost dead. Itachi never questions her. After all, he will kill her after he is cured, so why should it matter?

He could hear the little tick-tock-ing of the little clock Sakura had found three months ago as time passes. He briefly glances at the gaudy, red-eyed green cat-shaped clock. He had displayed his disapproval of the ugly clock by scowling when she brought the damned object in, but she simply ignored him and said that they needed something to tell time with.

"Here's some rice balls." She is done. Like usual, she places the plate of food on his lap. They rarely touch except for the instances when she has to heal him. Like usual, he doesn't respond.

"Wow, it's already spring," she says as she looks out of the window.

"Aa," he responds.

"Soon, the flowers will bloom, you know? I bet you didn't pay much attention to it before. It's really beautiful watching the flowers bloom, day by day…Ino's family used to own a flower store. I used to love going into there. The smell…was just amazing."

Like every day before this one, she just rambles on about pointless things. Yesterday she questioned why the sun exists. She then answered her own question. The day before, she blabbed about her best friend, Ino, and how she predicts that Ino and her teammate, Shikamaru, will end up together. Once, she even talked about the different types of chairs that exists in the world and which one she thinks is the most comfortable. Like him, she never talks about herself.

And, also like always, he barely listens. He simply lifts the rice balls and eats them. He would never let her know that she has made his favorite food, so he eats it slowly. After he finishes the rice balls, she takes his plate and stacks it on top of hers as she walks back into the kitchen. After a few minutes, she comes back out.

"Okay, let's get down to business," she says, placing her hands on her hips. He nods and lies back down onto the mattress. He closes his eyes. He hears her soft footsteps near him. Seconds later, he feels her slender, soft hands on his chest. A familiar feeling of warm chakra floats into him. "That's strange," she says.

He opens his eyes and looks at her. Her brows are knitted together in confusion. "Hm?"

"…You…All…" she pauses, as if thinking of how to phrase whatever she is about to say. "It's gotten worse. It's almost as if I haven't been working on you at all. It's almost exactly like it was three months ago."

"Why?"

"I don't know. You were fine yesterday. I'm going to have to do some research on this. Do you feel uncomfortable in any way?"

He shakes his head.

"That's what's strange. You seem a lot better. You're not coughing up blood. You're not pale anymore. Why…why are your lungs like that?"

"Like what?" She looks away from him.

"…Shriveled and punctured."

"I knew it." She whirls around and looks at him.

"What do you mean, you knew it?"

He sighs, preparing to speak sentences for once. "I have seen medics in the past. All of whom were unaffiliated with hidden villages. They often tried different approaches to heal me. None of them worked. This always happens."

"You didn't think to _tell_ me this?!"

"Aa."

"How could you - !" She pauses, as if calming herself. She sighs. "Okay. This is definitely something I didn't see coming. But, mark my words, I will cure you."

X

"You two are to go to Lightning and meet up with one of my contacts two days from now," Madara says, "They will have a scroll to give you. Haruno, read it and learn the jutsu on it. You will report back to me next month."

Sakura grunts in response. She is on the ground, bleeding profusely out of a hole in her abdomen. She has one black eye and her left arm looks broken. No, it is definitely broken. Her right foot is almost severed. Itachi stares emotionlessly at the dying girl sprawled on the ground.

And, with a jutsu, Madara's gone. Sakura groans and uses her right arm to claw at the ground to move towards the bathroom. Itachi watches as she mops the floor with her blood.

"Stop looking at me," she says.

"You're dying."

"No I'm not," she snaps at him. She then tries to take a deep breath, but she winces when she realizes that it hurts to do so. She looks at him. Was he getting up from the bed? "Don't you dare help me."

"Aa." He then turns and looks out the window again. He could hear as she continues dragging her body towards the bathroom. It is always like this. She always comes back terribly injured, but she never dies. The sustained injuries got worse as the months rolled by. She used to tend to her injuries in front of him with what little chakra she had left and then just let herself lay on the ground until her chakra recovered, but over the past four months, she just hides herself in the bathroom only for an hour. When she comes back out, she is almost all better.

That was also the first time he almost helped her. He did it without thinking. If she hadn't spoken, he would have found himself next to her, helping her up, definitely. He turns his head and looks at the bathroom door. If his predictions were correct, Madara is training her. And if Madara is training her, she should have no chakra left. She shouldn't be able to heal herself, especially injuries to those degrees. He narrows his eyes in suspicion.

After an hour, she steps back out of the bathroom.

"Are you hungry?" she asks, plastering a smile on her face.

"How do you have enough chakra to heal yourself?" Her smile fades.

"I just do."

"Hm."

"I'll go make rice balls."

"Aa." Through pure observation, she had determined that he actually really likes rice balls. Her reasoning? He took longer to eat it. He didn't respond when she had asked if it was true. It wouldn't hurt him to eat his favorite food, after all.

He pulls out a book that Sakura had found recently. It is a popular civilian novel about an affluent man who tries to win his former lover back. Though the plot is stupid, Itachi has nothing else to do. The kunoichi only allows him to train for an hour per day. He tried to train longer once, but she managed to distract him long enough to pin him to a tree using chakra strings. It was the only time he tried to train longer, especially since he began coughing up blood again shortly afterwards. It wasn't because he couldn't take her on. He knew that even in his weakened state, he'd be able to beat her.

"Here," she places the plate on his lap. She then sits down on the chair permanently placed next to him. He raises an eyebrow at her. She doesn't have food herself.

"I'm not hungry."

"Aa."

If he is correct, she would not talk aimlessly this time – like every time she comes back from 'training.' Instead, they will sit in eerily comfortable silence. She will stare out the window as he eats.

He is somewhat wrong.

"So…I've been researching in the town nearby. With the limited resources, it took longer, but I managed to find a way to cure you. At least, a more efficient way that hopefully will prevent your body from undoing my work."

"Hm."

"It requires supplies that are not offered in the town nearby. I was going to travel to other towns to try and procure what I need, but…with recent orders, I will delay my trip. Today and tomorrow, I will try and heal whatever I can before your body it's trick again, is that okay?"

"Aa."

"Okay."

X

Something is different. Itachi looks at the figure on the ground. Is she even breathing? He walks closer to her, but just five feet away, she springs back up, breathing fast and shallow. The kunoichi runs a bloodied hand through her hair carelessly as she glares up at the figure standing almost ten feet away.

Without Madara saying anything, Sakura nods. "I know. I'll get to it."

"I expect progress." He then disappears.

Sakura looks up at Itachi. "Hey." She places a smile on her face. He wonders how she can smile when she is clearly dying. She acts as if Madara hadn't thrown her lifeless body in front of him minutes ago. She acts as if she isn't in pain at all.

"What happened?"

"I'm surprised you're asking."

"Aa."

"Well…we have another mission."

"Heal yourself." He deliberately looks at the large gash in her shoulder, knowing that she'll follow his meaning well. She shakes her head.

"I will in a bit." He doesn't respond. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine."

"Come here for a second," she says hesitantly. She knows she can't stand right now. He does as told and he crouches down to the ground so she can reach him. She wipes her bloodied hand on her shirt before placing it on his chest. A familiar surge of chakra pulses through him. After seconds, she takes her arm back. "It's working well."

He stands back up. "Aa."

"I'll go elsewhere to-"

"Stay here. I'll go somewhere else." She looks at him, obviously surprised.

Itachi doesn't explain and simply walks away from their current camping area. He knows that she was going to drag herself away to another place again to heal herself secretly. Might as well make it easier for her, right? So he walks for a few minutes. After he is a safe distance away from her, he jumps on a tree to sit on a branch and watches for any enemies.

X

She's been gone for a week now. Itachi looks out the window, as usual, but he looks for a sign of pink, like he has for the past few days. There is none. Madara had come by a week ago and whisked her away for their monthly 'training.' The training normally was 2-3 days, but it has been a week already. She hasn't returned…but Itachi isn't worried. No, he is not. He continues looking out the window, debating whether or not he should train. Sakura had told him before she left that he is much better now and he can train for up to six hours now.

He sighs and gets up from the bed. He looks at Sakura's own bed at the other side of the room. He peels his eyes away from the bed and looks at the ugly clock. It's only half past noon. He goes to the little wardrobe provided by the cottage, opens it, and pulls out a simple black t-shirt and black standard training pants. He slips on his shoes and exits the cottage through the back door.

Suddenly, there is a flare of chakra.

"Ah, Itachi," says the evil man, "How is your health?"

"Better."

"Training?"

"Aa."

"You have a mission."

"Where is she?"

"That is none of your business."

"She is my partner, is she not?"

"Partners get solo missions sometimes, and you know that." He raises an eyebrow, clearly amused. "Or are you just worried for the girl? Have you started to _care_ for her?" His voice is taunting.

"No."

"Well, then it is none of your business."

"Hm."

"Go to Konoha and find out what they're up to. Should be simple enough for your body. Report back to me in a week." Itachi nods. Madara disappears.

All the more reason to train. He walks towards the clearing he knows is past the bunch of trees behind the cottage. He couldn't stop his mind from straying to the pink-haired medic.

X

"What did you do that for?!" Sakura screeches.

Itachi doesn't respond to the furious kunoichi. He simply looks at her, face emotionless. The kunoichi's face is far from emotionless, however. Her cheeks are flushed with anger. Her lips mark her face with a scowl. Her eyebrows furrowed and her eyes glaring. He couldn't help but find it strange. Her bubblegum pink hair sticks out even more with her angered expression.

"You're welcome," he states. He knows it's only going to anger her more.

"I didn't _thank_ you!" He contemplates not answering her, but he figures she wouldn't let this go.

"You should."

"I- I _should_?! What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You're overreacting."

"What?"

"You're overreacting."

"What the _fuck_ is wrong with you?! I didn't need your help! I never will!"

"I didn't say you need it. Calm down." His voice is emotionless, as always.

"Then why did you do it?!"

"I wanted to test my strength," he lies. The sight of the kunoichi bound and gagged didn't sit well with him. So he simply took down the enemy for her.

"You're _lying_! You think I'm weak, don't you?!"

"No. I helped you. Get over it." He glares at her. He is getting fed up.

"I don't need your help! I've told you that before!"

"This is just going in circles."

"I don't even-" she lets out a frustrated groan, "Why did you even bother?! You're going to kill me anyways!"

Silence. He wouldn't tell her that he forgot about the fact that she is after his brother's head. He barely could believe that he forgot about it himself.

He turns on his heels and walks away.

"Where are you going? I'm not letting you leave until you give me answers."

"I'm going for a walk, and you _will_ leave me alone." She sees the sharingan in his eyes.

"Go fuck yourself, Uchiha." She spins around and walks the opposite direction. Itachi sighs and continues walking away. He turns around briefly. He could see the retreating back of the kunoichi. He questions walking back and attempting to reconcile, but he decides against it.

X

Sakura walks into the cottage. "Hey. I'm back."

Itachi doesn't respond.

"Are you hungry?"

"No."

"Okay. Well, I'm gonna go shower then."

Itachi glances at her. She's been gone for a week. This is the first time she isn't on the brink of death. Instead, she looks perfectly fine, aside from her clothes being ripped at certain places and looking like she rolled around in mud.

"You trained with Madara?" he asks as she digs through the wardrobe.

"Yeah," she responds without looking at him.

"You're not dying."

"Obviously."

"Are you-"

"How are you feeling?" she asks, cutting him off, finally turning around. There are pieces of clothing in her hands. He glowers at her a little. She knows he doesn't like being interrupted. She closes the wardrobe.

"I'm fine."

"I'll check on you after I'm clean."

Itachi doesn't respond and simply looks out the window. He feels exhausted from training, though he would never admit it. Sakura had told him a month or so ago that he can train however much he wants from then on out. He took full advantage of it. After the last instance when Sakura reminded him that he is supposed to kill her after he is cured, the two drifted apart, sort of. The previous comfort disappeared – tension taking over. Since the kunoichi is training with Madara, he had to take killing her seriously.

He would not allow her to kill Sasuke.

Sasuke is his to protect, despite everything.

When Sakura steps back out of the bathroom. She is all clean and her hair is wet. She is dressed in a black t-shirt and blue leggings with her normal shinobi shoes. She has a towel wrapped around her shoulders. Itachi couldn't stop his eyes from lingering on her longer than they should have.

She walks over to him and looks out the window. "It's already winter."

"Aa." He hadn't planned on responding. It just happened.

"Well, lay down." He makes sure to keep his mouth shut as he does as told. She places her hand on his chest. Her chakra flows through him. After seconds, Sakura retracts her hand. Itachi couldn't pinpoint what he felt when she took her hand back – almost a feeling of longing, but different.

"You're a lot better. The procedure is working well. Your body hasn't reversed my healing for a while now. At the rate this is going, you'll be cured soon…" She doesn't continue the sentence. The thought lingers in the air between them.

"Well, I'm going to town. I'm assuming you don't want to come."

"Aa."

"See you later then." She tosses the towel aside, letting it land on her chair. She throws on a beige cloak and walks out. When he sees her from outside of the window, her hair is dry. She must have used a simple wind jutsu or something. She slowly drags her feet through the snow.

Before he knows it, he is standing on the porch with a similar cloak over him. Sakura is staring back at him, silent. She waits as he catches up to her. After he catches up, they walk leisurely next to each other, with a feet or two between them. She has a large smile on her face. He questions her sanity.

"There's a really nice café in town."

"Hm."

"I'm going to grab some tea from there. You're welcome to join me."

"We'll see."

Sakura lets out a small giggle and runs her fingers through her hair. He looks at her from the corner of his eyes. She is looking forward. Her jade eyes duller than they used to be. He couldn't help but wonder how different her eyes looked when she was happy. When she was in Konoha. Her fingers run through her hair, braiding it. It has gotten longer over the past year. It now reaches well past her shoulders. He couldn't help but admire the way her long tresses frame her face. The look suits her.

"What is it?" she asks.

He debates not answering her. He shakes his head.

"Whatever you say," she says. They walk in silence until they reach the town. It is fairly large for an independent town. "I'm going to the library. Where are you going to go?"

"Same." She nods in acknowledgement.

"You know, Sasuke and Naruto never understood why I like spending hours in the library." She chuckles a little at the memory from her childhood, though there is a look of longing in her eyes.

"Sasuke was raised through hands-on teaching methods."

"Oh. Well that explains it."

"Aa."

Silence takes over again as they enter the library. Sakura had learned a year ago that this library is one of the largest in the world. Strangely enough, it is basically in the middle of nowhere. If someone doesn't know where they are going, they would never find it.

"I'm going over there."

"Hm."

Itachi walks towards a random bookshelf and pulls out a random book. _The Tale of Eros and Psyche. _He sits with his back against the bookshelf and his legs extended in front of him to touch the bookshelf across from him as he opens the book to the first page.

The tale is about Eros, the son of Aphrodite, falling for a beautiful mortal girl, Psyche. Eros is the one who shoots arrows at people for them to fall in love. He had accidentally poked himself with an arrow, and thus fell in love with the mortal girl. Psyche eventually marries Eros, but her sisters trick her into distrusting Eros, and she believes them since she actually had never seen what Eros looks like. Eros, feeling betrayed, leaves. Psyche then tries to find her husband. She gets put through many obstacles by Aphrodite, who is jealous of Psyche's beauty, but she survives all of them. In the end, Eros and Psyche end up together. They have a daughter together and live happily ever after. A tale of an impossible love working out in the end.

Itachi couldn't help but find himself drawn to the story, surprisingly. The book isn't very thick, so it doesn't take him long to finish, but the tale left him deep in thought. He tends to hate these kind of stories. They used to be boring to him, especially because they tended to appeal to females and those that can relate. It isn't as if he actually has anything like an impossible love in his life…right?

"Hey, what are you reading?" He looks up to find Sakura staring down at him, one eyebrow raised in curiosity.

He doesn't answer and holds the book out at her. She takes it and looks at the title. "The Tale of Eros and Psyche?"

"Seems like something you'd like."

She lets out a laugh. He stares at her, confused. "N-No, it's nothing," she says, trying to suppress her laughs. To no avail, she continues laughing.

"What?"

She shakes her head. "Nothing." She couldn't tell him that she didn't like these types of books. In fact, no kunoichi she knows does. Even Ino hates them. She couldn't tell him that he isn't the first to suggest the genre to her. The first being her childish blonde teammate and Itachi's very own brother.

So, she plasters a straight face on, but in a few seconds, it falters and she laughs aloud again. Though her laughs are muffled by her hand that covers her mouth, he finds that he likes the sound of her laughter. It soothes him somehow.

It isn't the first time he's heard her laugh, but he could count the number of times she has laughed over the past year with one hand, and every time, he finds himself amazed by the sheer happiness and enjoyment that she emits when she laughs. Her laugh is entertaining and strangely…charming.

He watches as she shakes her head some more. "I'm going to go over there to stop myself from disrupting everyone," she says in between bouts of laughter. He raises an eyebrow at her.

It has been a year and he could never get over her strangeness…or how that strangeness intrigues him.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 3

"Tsunade-sama, we can't find Sakura anywhere!" says a distraught Ino.

"What do you mean you can't find her anywhere? I just saw her yesterday. I'm sure she's just in her tent or something," says Tsunade.

"I looked in her tent, in the medic tent, _everywhere_!" says Ino, "The medics are nearly going crazy. We can't _find_ her!"

"How long has this been going on?"

"Since this morning. Seriously, Tsunade-sama, I have a bad feeling about this."

Tsunade sighed. "Ino, find me Team Kakashi."

"Okay!" Ino rushes out of Tsunade's office immediately. Tsunade sighs and puts her head in her hands, elbows propped on the table. She knew something was wrong with Sakura's mission. She had been acting strange ever since she went to Danzo's house the first time. Sitting up straight, Tsunade pulls out her drawer. Locating Sakura's mission report, she opens it and rereads all of the contents, but nothing is out of the ordinary.

Had Sakura left out parts of her mission in the report?

There's no way, right? Such a thing is not allowed, unless whatever she found out simply had nothing to do with the mission at all, but it isn't like Sakura to not tell her shishou everything.

The bell outside her tent rings, interrupting her thoughts.

"Come in!" she says, still scanning the document for anything special.

"What is it, Tsunade-baa-chan?" asks Naruto.

"You guys sure got here fast," muses Tsunade.

"Yeah, Ino sort of burst into my tent and demanded that I get here immediately. She said it has something to do with Sakura. What is it?" says Kakashi.

"Sakura is missing. I'm sending you guys on a retrieval mission. I don't know if she was kidnapped or simply left by herself, but you are to find her and bring her back." It goes without saying that she expects Sakura back, alive and well.

Naruto's eyes widen. "Sakura-chan's missing? What?!"

"Of course," says Kakashi.

"Everyone but Kakashi go outside for a second," orders Tsunade. Sai and Yamato nod as they turn to leave. Sai pushes Naruto out since the shinobi is still surprised.

"What is it? This isn't a simple retrieval mission, is it?" asks Kakashi.

"I sent Sakura on a mission a few days ago…" Kakashi's eyes narrow. "It was a simple mission. Here's her report." She holds up the pieces of paper and Kakashi steps forward to take them from her. He quickly reads the papers, his eyes widening a bit at the surprise that Danzo had a son.

"This…doesn't seem like anything atypical. What does any of this have to do with Sakura's disappearance?"

"That is what I don't know."

"Then how-"

"I assigned Sakura that mission two days ago. She was different when she came back to report to me."

"Maybe she was kidnapped for knowing."

"Maybe."

"So what do you want me to do about this?"

"I need you to go find her parents and ask if they know anything. If they don't, I need you to go with Sai, Naruto and Yamato to look for her. I'm sure your dogs can track her down in no time."

"Unless she doesn't want to be found…"

"This is Sakura we're talking about, Hatake." She almost sounds threatening.

"I know. But here, in this report...it says that it is unknown what happened to Danzo's granddaughter, yes?"

Tsunade's eyes narrow for a bit, then realization dawns on her. "And…his son had green eyes…Kakashi, go find-" Kakashi was already gone. "It can't be, right?"

She sighs as she pulls out a bottle of sake. She stares at it, wondering whether or not to drink it.

X

Kakashi rushes through the myriad of tents, looking for his sole female student's parents. Spotting the signature cherry-blossom-shaped pale pink hair of one Haruno Kizashi, Kakashi slows down as he lands in front of him.

"Haruno-san," Kakashi greets, bowing. He looks at Kizashi, noticing the bags under his eyes. A fear settles inside Kakashi's heart. No way. He refuses to believe it until he actually hears it.

"Oh, Hatake-sensei," says Sakura's father. He bows slightly. "What brings you here?"

"Tsunade-sama wants to know if you know anything regarding your daughter's disappearance."

Kizashi's eyes widen briefly. "I…My wife…We need to talk in private with my wife. I…I'll find you in a bit."

"The Hokage's tent, is this fine?"

"Y-Yes. Yes, that is fine." Kizashi averts his eyes, turning promptly and looking for his wife.

Kakashi looks at Sakura's father's retreating back. It really can't be. There's no way. It's not possible. He turns around and walks towards Tsunade's tent again, recalling the last time he saw Sakura. She had just come into Tsunade's office after completing her mission. Timing states that it was the mission that Tsunade showed him the report of. Something _was_ off about her, but the war was taking a toll on everyone. He only thought that Sakura was solemner because of that.

Kakashi doesn't know which he fears more – Sakura being kidnapped or killed because she knows the truth behind Danzo…or Sakura running off because she is actually related to Danzo in some way.

"Come in, Kakashi!" Tsunade says after sensing his chakra.

"What is it?" he asks lazily.

"Did you find them? That was fast."

"I found Haruno Kizashi. He went to look for his wife. They said we need to talk in private, so I suggested here."

"That's…not a good sign."

"No…it isn't."

"I'm sure you don't need me to tell you not to talk to anyone about this situation."

"Yeah, I know."

"Not even Naruto."

"Definitely not Naruto. He'd overreact."

"Yeah…but if it's him…he can bring her back."

Kakashi doesn't know what Tsunade is referring to. Bring Sakura back from what? Her kidnappers or herself? Before he could say anything else, Tsunade speaks.

"Come in!"

Kizashi and Mebuki step into the tent. Mebuki's eyes are swollen and bloodshot.

"Hokage-sama," the two of them greet as they bow in respect.

"Kakashi says that we have to talk alone. What is it?" asks Tsunade.

"I…Uh…" Mebuki stutters. Tsunade's eyes narrow. The woman is usually outspoken, much like Sakura.

"What do you wish to know?" asks Kizashi, squeezing one of his wife's shoulders in a comforting gesture.

"Do you know why your daughter is gone?" asks Tsunade.

"Not really," says Kizashi.

"Please explain," Kakashi says.

"Well…it…the mission you assigned her – the one pertaining to Danzo-san," says Kizashi as his wife starts tearing up again.

"What about it?" asks Tsunade, fear settling in the pit of her stomach.

"Sakura came to us, asking about it…because she found out that she looks like Danzo-san's son and daughter-in-law," says Kizashi.

"And…?" asks Tsunade.

"And we…and we…" Kizashi sputters.

"She's not our daughter. We told her she's not our daughter," blurts Mebuki, "We told her the truth."

Kakashi and Tsunade freeze. Apparently, their biggest fear of one minute ago…is possible.

"I…We…We lied to the Sandaime about our real daughter," says Mebuki, her words almost incoherent with her despair.

"We will take whatever punishment you deem suitable," says Kizashi.

"No," says Tsunade firmly, "You will receive no punishment for raising a homeless infant into a loving kunoichi." Mebuki smiles briefly at the Hokage, thankful. "Kakashi, hurry your team. You must find Sakura before she does anything she'll regret."

"Please find my daughter. She's not…she's not in the right mind right now," says Kizashi, bowing. Mebuki joins him a second later.

"I will find my student," says Kakashi.

And yet, a week later, Kakashi returns without said student.

X

It is a sunny day in Konoha, but beneath all the smiling faces and happy fronts lays a bit of despair everywhere. Tsunade looks down at the scroll in front of her, unsure of what to do with it.

_Hokage-sama,_

_ I, the Kazekage, am contacting you because I require your assistance with a problem. There is a recent missing-nin that has been disrupting Suna's borders, always leaving bloody messes. I have sent my most elite shinobi to fix this dilemma, but they have yet to return. The source of the problem is starting to worry my village, and to my knowledge, Konoha would be best at taking her down. The missing-nin goes by Mana and according to one survivor's accounts, this Mana takes anyone standing in her way down with chakra scalpels and she does it rapidly and efficiently._

_ I know she resides outside Suna's borders somewhere, but she remains hidden quite well, which makes it hard to locate her. Besides that, the only other things I know are that she has bright green eyes and has been causing discrepancies in all the hidden villages lately. With Uchiha Madara laying low for now, I find it highly possible that you can tend to this problem. Your medic-nins should be able to know how to deal with chakra scalpels, should they not? My village is not as well off on medic-knowledge as Konoha, so I ask for your assistance eradicating the missing-nin. _

_ Please send a team of shinobi within a week. If I see no Konoha shinobi, I will understand. Thank you._

_ Sabaku no Gaara_

There is no doubt in her mind that the missing-nin mentioned in Gaara's message is Sakura. She definitely is going to accept his request, of course. She couldn't have Sakura getting killed off by whoever else Gaara asks for assistance. Now, if only she could figure out who to send. Team Kakashi would definitely want to go, but she couldn't risk sending Naruto out for this mission again, especially when there has been no news on Madara.

Besides that, she needs to send a team with a medic. Someone who knows how to defend themselves against chakra scalpels. There is Shizune, but she has to stay for the medics. Losing Sakura already caused a huge panic months ago since Sakura was one of the head medics.

She needs other opinions on this. "Find me Hatake Kakashi and Nara Shikamaru!" In less than 10 minutes, Kakashi and Shikamaru appear outside her tent. "Come in."

"What is it?" Kakashi asks. Over the past months, Kakashi had begun to appear as promptly as possible whenever he was called upon, mainly because he didn't know when news of Sakura would turn up.

"This…" she holds out the scroll.

"A scroll from Gaara?" asks Shikamaru, taking it from the Hokage. Konoha 11 had been made aware of Sakura's disappearance and Tsunade had decided to tell them of the actual reason why Sakura left.

Kakashi scans the letter. When he finishes, he looks up at Tsunade, surprise evident in his eyes.

"I'm going on this mission," he states.

"I was planning on sending you anyways, Hatake, but Naruto is not allowed," says Tsunade, firmly.

"I understand. I'll take Team Asuma," says Kakashi, "Ino can take Sakura on. She is more than ready for this." Tsunade contemplates it briefly.

"The outside world changes people, Kakashi. Besides that, we don't know what Sakura has been up to for the past eight months. After all, it seems like Gaara's elite shinobi don't stand a chance against her," says Tsunade.

"Ino is Sakura's best friend," says Kakashi, "that status will weaken Sakura."

"But it will also weaken Ino," says Shikamaru, "No one can go against their own best friend with the intent to kill if necessary."

"We won't have to kill her," says Kakashi, "And besides, we'll also be there. Ino won't get hurt."

"But-" says Shikamaru.

"Alright, then it's decided. Send for Yamanaka Ino and Akimichi Chouji!" Tsunade announces.

Shikamaru shakes his head ruefully. "Wait, I think we might need someone else."

"Who?" asks Tsunade.

"…Aburame Shino, Tenten, Sabaku no Temari or Sabaku no Kankuro," Shikamaru responds.

"Long distance fighters," muses Kakashi, "That is true…I am more close distance, along with Chouji…and Shikamaru needs a light source, while Ino needs precision."

"Good idea, Shikamaru," says Tsunade, "We'll stick with one of the Sand siblings. I will need one of you two to help me deliver the scroll to the Kazekage, of course."

"Understood," says Kakashi.

Shikamaru couldn't shake off the bad feeling he had. There is no way this is going to go well. Kakashi and Shikamaru stand there as Tsunade writes her letter to the Kazekage, notifying him of her decision to add one of his siblings to her team.

"Set out tomorrow at sunrise," says Tsunade, as she throws the scroll at Kakashi to catch.

"Understood," the two of them respond.

"Bring her back alive," whispers Tsunade. She couldn't say 'bring her back unharmed.' It would be impossible. After the two geniuses leave the tent, Tsunade buries her face in her hands. Though the past eight months went by pretty smoothly and without many disruptions besides the ones from Uchiha Sasuke…it seems as if everything is going to get more complicated from now.

Feeling a familiar chakra outside her tent, she hollers, "Come in!"

"Hokage-sama, we have a problem."

"What is it?"

"Uchiha Sasuke has attacked again." The sound Tsunade lets out is almost animalistic.

"Where was it this time?"

"The northern border." She sighs.

"Bring me Team Gai, Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, Uzumaki Naruto, and Sai."

"Understood."

Yes, things are definitely going to get more complicated from here on out.

X

"Sasuke!" yells Naruto, "What do you think you're doing?!"

Sasuke doesn't respond to Naruto. Naruto charges at him, rasengan ready in hand.

"Tch," Sasuke says as he dodges Naruto's attack with ease. Naruto creates a shadow clone to try and push Sasuke into the line of fire.

Something is different. Sasuke lets his eyes briefly flicker between the shinobi present.

Team Gai. Might Guy. Tenten. Hyuuga Neji. Rock Lee. Check.

Team Kurenai. Inuzuka Kiba. Aburame Shino. Hyuuga Hinata. Check.

Team Asuma is missing. Sasuke figures they are on another mission since all its members aren't present.

Team Kakashi. Naruto and Sai. No Kakashi. No Sakura.

Kakashi must be on another mission. And Sakura? She's probably either dead already or the Hokage left her out of this because she could easily be killed. After all, she hasn't appeared in any of the fights against him over the past eight months.

Naruto seems angrier than he normally is. It is sort of unsettling. Sasuke blocks Naruto's kick aimed to his torso and pulls out his katana.

"Kusanagi no Tsurugi: Chidorigatana," Sasuke mutters.

"Watch out, Naruto!" says Tenten. Hinata hurries and tries to kick Sasuke to the side, away from Naruto. Sai summons a snake which latches itself around Sasuke's neck.

Naruto is dragged to the side by Guy.

"Get your head out of the gutters, Naruto," says Neji, watching as Hinata attempts to take on Sasuke. Lee joins in the fight to assist Hinata.

"I know. I _know_," says Naruto. He rubs his face with his palms.

"Hinata!" says Kiba. "Akamaru, _Garouga._"

The two complete their Fang Wolf Fang jutsu and accelerate towards Sasuke. Sasuke watches it coming from the corner of his eyes and dodges out of the way, his kick barely missing the Hyuuga heiress.

"Stay out of this, guys," says Naruto, all of a sudden. "I'll take him on…one on one."

"Naruto-kun…" says Hinata. "We're here to help you."

"Sasuke, leave them out of this," says Naruto, ignoring Hinata. Sasuke ignores him. He lets out a tsk and before Naruto knows what he's doing, Sasuke disappears. "SASUKE!"

"Damn. Not again," says Kiba.

"L-Let's go back, guys," says Hinata.

"…Or would you like the follow him?" asks Shino.

"Let's go!" says Naruto.

"He's not alone, though," says Shino.

Naruto's eyes flash red. "We can-"

"Naruto-kun," says Guy, placing a hand over Naruto's shoulder. "We can't. Konoha needs us back…just in case he attacks again. We can't risk him killing any of you."

"He _can't_ kill us! That is why he ran!" argues Naruto, angry.

"No," says Tenten, "He can. He didn't _run_."

"Tenten is right," says Lee, "Sasuke would not run from a challenge. He was probably called back."

"Step down, Naruto," says Neji. "We have to report back to Tsunade."

"You guys _know_ he's going to attack again," argues Naruto.

"Yes, but if any of us lose our lives, we won't be able to defend Konoha," says Kiba.

"What do you think, Sai?" asks Naruto, "If we bring Sasuke back, Sakura will come back!"

"Well…if Ugly does come back…it will be to kill Sasuke."

Silence. Naruto sighs. "Let's go back."

Sai watches as Naruto turns, his shoulders slouched in retreat. Sakura's defection took him by surprise. It took everyone by surprise, actually. After all, Sakura is Tsunade's apprentice. No one believed that she would leave. Naruto, on the other hand, after finding out that Sakura's aim is to kill Sasuke, didn't know what to do. He wants to bring Sasuke back, and if he does, Sakura will inevitably come back. But she'll try to kill Sasuke. Sai had watched over the past months as Naruto slowly became more and more withdrawn.

Suddenly, there is a flash of chakra. Naruto stands up straight immediately and looks in the direction of the chakra. The rest of the group does the same.

"That's Sakura-san's chakra!" says Lee.

"Let's go," says Naruto, immediately running towards the direction.

"_Byakugan_," says Neji, activating his bloodline limit. He looks at the direction. "Stop, Naruto." Hinata looks at her cousin in surprise, then does the same.

"Sakura isn't there," whispers Hinata, loud enough for them to hear.

"There's no one there," says Neji.

"That's impossible. You guys felt it, didn't you?" asks Naruto, coming back to them.

"Yes, but it could have been anything. Sakura is a medic. Her chakra is everywhere," says Neji.

Naruto slouches again. He couldn't bear having his hopes raised again, only to be crushed. "Naruto, at least it means she's still good."

"What do you mean, Sai?" asks Kiba.

"If means she's still healing without any motives. The fact that it isn't an enemy means that she probably just heals whoever comes by," explains Sai.

"True…and we haven't been ambushed. That's a great sign, right? Right?" says Naruto, all of a sudden more energized. Everyone nods and smiles at Naruto.

Everyone except Shino. He looks to the side where Sakura's chakra signature had emitted from. He narrows his eyes behind his sunglasses.

Something isn't right. He looks at the two Hyuuga shinobi. There's something they're not telling everyone.

And he will find out what it is.

X

Kakashi and Team Asuma travel in silence. They know what is going to come. They are going to face Sakura. It is something they have anticipated. Only a few hours away from Suna, they refuse to rest.

"Want one?" asks Ino, holding out a soldier pill to Shikamaru whilst jumping from branch to branch.

"Nah," says Shikamaru.

"Okay," she says as she plops one in her mouth.

"So, Ino, you know the plan, right?" asks Kakashi.

"Yeah," says Ino. She takes on a somber expression, "I have to take on Sakura."

"Tsunade-sama briefed you on it, right?" asks Chouji, munching on a potato chip.

"Mhmm, she made sure to drill all the necessary things into me before we left," says Ino, "But if anything happens. If I slip up, you guys got my back, right?"

"Of course," says Shikamaru.

"But, can you guys do me a favor?" she asks.

"What is it?" Chouji looks at his female teammate.

"Don't interfere unless I truly am underestimating her," she says.

"Understood," says Kakashi.

They all know that Sakura and Ino have to settle this out by themselves. Ino is on the same level as Naruto in their desire to get the pink-haired kunoichi back. And, the two have been rivals for years. Their last match was during the Chunin exams four years ago. And it had ended in a tie.

Kakashi could only hope that it ends up in a tie and doesn't take anyone's life.

Hopefully Sakura hasn't changed that much. But, according to Gaara, the missing-nin is pretty much a killing machine, leaving bloody messes wherever she goes. The only reason they know anything about this Mana kunoichi is because she had deliberately left one of her opponents alive…for the sake of relaying a message. Kakashi feels unsettled.

Hopefully she still treasures her bonds, unlike Sasuke.

The rest of the travel is silent as they let Ino prepare herself to go against her missing best friend. They arrive at the gates of Suna just as the sun is setting. After the Suna shinobi check if the group of four are indeed who they say they are, the team enters the gates.

"Hey," greets a blonde.

"Temari," greets Shikamaru. Ino, Chouji and Kakashi bow a little in greeting. She is the Kazekage's older sister, after all.

"Gaara's expecting you guys," she responds. "Come on."

The group follow behind Shikamaru and Temari, who are walking side by side. Kakashi couldn't help but relate this couple's tendency to another couple. Another couple that he always found together.

"Is something going on between you two?" Kakashi asks, his eyes glinting with curiosity.

"No," the two of them respond maybe a little too quickly.

"Okay, okay," Kakashi says. He looks to Chouji, who is eating yet another bag of chips to calm his nerves. He looks to Ino. She is biting her lip in nervousness. "Are you okay?"

Ino looks to him in surprise. "Yeah. I'm fine."

"O-" Ino interrupts him with a sigh.

"Actually, no. I'm not okay," Ino says. Her voice comes out tight. "I…this…Sakura…this isn't how it is supposed to be." She is holding back tears. Shikamaru looks back at his female teammate. Chouji steps next to her and wraps an arm around her shoulder as encouragement. Shikamaru leaves Temari's side and does the same as Chouji.

"What does Sakura have to do with this?" asks Temari, evidently confused. The group, excluding Ino, look up at Temari. How are they supposed to explain this?

"We'll tell you and Gaara later," says Shikamaru.

She furrows her eyebrows in suspicion, but agrees. "Okay, this way." She motions to the side and the group follows. Ino is in the middle of Chouji and Shikamaru, who are offering her comfort as they walk. Kakashi walks behind the three seventeen-year-olds, watching them attempt to share Ino's burden.

Why couldn't Team 7 be like Team 10?

Instead of standing by each other's sides like Team 10, two members of Team 7 have defected. They all don't speak. Sasuke hasn't spoken a friendly conversation with them in _years_. And Sakura? This is the first lead they've gotten on her in the past 8 months.

Kakashi couldn't help but wonder how it all turned out so wrong.

"We're here," announces Temari. "Let's go." She enters the building first, leading them throughout. Ino smiles thankfully at her teammates and they let go of her, but they still walk by her side. Kakashi follows behind them. He feels a bit envious of the relationship between the members of Team 10. They would gladly give up their lives for each other, much like Naruto would for either Sasuke or Sakura...but Sasuke definitely would not do the same. And Sakura…he's not so sure anymore. When he realizes where his thoughts are straying to, he averts his eyes from Team 10, looking out the windows as he walked passed them. "Here."

Temari knocks on Gaara's door slowly.

"Enter," Gaara's voice reaches the door. Temari does as told and opens the door. She motions for the guests to enter. She promptly closes the door behind them after everyone is in the room. They are alone.

Kakashi walks to Gaara's desk. "From Tsunade-sama," says Kakashi, holding out the scroll Tsunade had given him. Gaara nods and takes the scroll. He opens it and reads it. After a few seconds, he rolls it back up.

"You are to take Temari," he says, "Kankuro is out on other business."

"We understand," says Shikamaru, "Do you have any other information on Mana?"

"Her main offensive attack is through her use of chakra scalpels. She knows other…jutsu, but I am not sure what they are. The survivors stated that everything she does is for a reason. She doesn't play with her preys…and her jutsu can get deadly, but she doesn't use them often. Probably once per battle," Gaara explains, taking a deep breath, he continues, "I assume that it is because she doesn't have a high chakra supply; so it shouldn't be that hard for someone who knows how to defend themselves against chakra scalpels. However, she should not be taken loosely. She has killed many of my men already." He casts a look at Ino when he finishes.

"Okay," says Shikamaru, taking Gaara's attention away from Ino. "Is that all?"

"Wait-" says Temari, "What's that about Sakura before?"

Shikamaru's eyes narrow. He was hoping that she would forget. Gaara looks at him, suspicion raising in his eyes. "Sakura? Naruto's teammate? What does she have to do with this?"

Silence. Kakashi sighs. "This is sort of hard to say…but…it is highly believed that Mana is Sakura."

"Why?" asks Gaara, recalling all the times he encountered the pink-haired girl. She didn't seem exceptionally strong, besides the time she saved Kankuro, but medic skills have barely anything to do with strength.

"She has been missing for about eight months now," says Shikamaru, "That is all we can say about why she defected."

"Well that makes things even more complicated…" says Gaara. Kakashi shoots him a questioning look. "Many of my villagers are demanding Mana's head on a pole."

"No!" argues Ino.

"We can't do that, Gaara," says Chouji.

"It isn't my decision to make," says Gaara, "If I let her live, if word gets out that she is from Konoha, things will be hard to settle."

Kakashi understands. It will be easier for Konoha to forgive Sakura because she hasn't done anything wrong to them…but with all that she has done to Suna, one of Konoha's greatest allies, Sakura will definitely receive a harsh punishment…if she does come back. Kakashi forces the thought out as he focuses back on Gaara's words.

"But she did save Kankuro's life," says Temari. "That has to count for something, right?"

"Not to the families of the victims," says Gaara, sighing, "One good deed does not make up for twenty bad ones, Temari."

"But you became Kazekage despite all the things you did before," says Ino.

"Ino," says Shikamaru, warningly.

"No, he is telling me that he might have to kill my best friend," argues Ino, "I won't just let that happen!"

"He doesn't _want_ to, Ino," defends Temari, "He might _have_ to."

"No-" Chouji grabs onto Ino's arm to tell her to quiet.

"Naruto won't sit around and let you kill off his best friend," says Shikamaru, "You know that."

"Yes, I know that the majority of Konoha won't allow me to do so," says Gaara, his voice as calm as ever, "But, like I said, it isn't up to me." Gaara isn't so sure of what he would do if it was up to him. He couldn't just _let_ _her go_. After all, she killed some of his most talented shinobi.

"But-" Ino starts again. Gaara holds up a hand to silence her.

"This conversation is over," he states, "You will set out tomorrow morning. She doesn't tend to attack until noon or so. Temari, show them to their quarters."

"Okay," Temari says as she leads the Konoha shinobi out of the room. After she closes the door behind her, she points to the side. "This way."

They follow her down a path of lots of twists and turns. "How many rooms do you need?" she asks.

"Do you need your own room, Ino?" asks Shikamaru.

"Nah. I don't want to be alone tonight," she responds. Temari quirks an eyebrow. Kakashi would have chuckled, if he was in the mood. Ino's response could have been interpreted wrongly.

"How many beds are in one?" asks Shikamaru.

"Two large ones," Temari responds.

"I guess one room is sufficient," Shikamaru responds.

"Alright then," Temari says. "Well then, here's your room. There is a bathroom inside, but I'm sure you all already know this." The four of them enter the room, with Chouji entering first, followed by Ino and then Kakashi and Shikamaru. Temari grabs onto Shikamaru's arm before he can go into the room. "I need to talk to you about something."

Shikamaru doesn't look surprised. "I understand."

"Have fun, kids," teases Kakashi.

Shikamaru sighs and mutters a "how troublesome." He looks back into the room and sees Ino walk out of his line of sight before he closes the door behind him.

"So what is it?" asks Shikamaru.

"It's about Gaara," she says, "Come here."

They walk for a few minutes until they reach a simple lounge. No one is in it.

"So what is it?" Shikamaru asks again.

"I need at least one of you to understand that if you guys do successfully bring Sakura back alive…that whatever happens because of Gaara's decision actually is not what he means to do."

"I know." He sighs, "I understand, Temari. As Kazekage, his job is to ensure his village is happy with everything he does. It's a terrible job."

"Yeah, it is. Well, then this talk is pointless since you already know," she lets out a light chuckle, "I just wanted to make sure that the ties between Konoha and Suna don't crumble."

"I'll try to keep everyone from overreacting," he says. He isn't so sure where the line lies between completely-called-for to overreacting. Sakura, after all, is one of his childhood friends.

"Thank you. I guess I'll go retire for the night. See you in the morning." Before she leaves, she briefly turns around. "I trust that you can remember your way back to the room."

"Yeah. No worries."

"Okay. Bye." She exits the lounge. Shikamaru sighs.

"Women are so troublesome." He isn't so sure which woman he is referring to.

He sighs again, and walks back to the room he is sharing with Chouji, Ino and Kakashi. Opening the door, he looks into the room. The light is dim. Chouji is on one bed and Kakashi is on the other, both seemingly asleep. Ino is sitting on an armchair next to the window, staring out at the Suna sky, likely deep in thought. Shikamaru walks closer to Ino and she doesn't turn to look at him.

"You know, Sakura and I used to sneak out at night, when we were little," she whispers, careful not to wake the others, even though she knows that they are awake and probably thinking of the imminent battle.

Shikamaru doesn't respond. He would if he could, but there is nothing to say.

"We used to talk about getting married someday, to some other ninja and have ninja babies, ya' know?" He could hear starting to tear up though the way her voice changed.

"Calm down, Ino," says Shikamaru.

"What if she's a lost cause?" Ino whispers. "What if…What if she tries to kill me? I don't think I'll be able to take it." Shikamaru places a hand on her shoulder. "I don't think I can kill her."

"You won't have to," Shikamaru says. She looks up at him. She doesn't dare question what he means. The optimist side of her thinks he means that Sakura was and always will be good, but her pessimistic side tells her that he means that, if anything, he'll deal the final blow.

"Thank you, Shikamaru," she finally says after a pause. She then gets up and wipes her eyes. "Let's get some sleep. We're gonna need it." Shikamaru nods and follows her over to the bed Chouji is on. It is big enough to fit all three of them.

X

Morning comes too soon.

Ino opens her eyes as light filters into the room. She feels a very slight shift in the bed, telling her that Shikamaru is awake as well. Chouji doesn't tend to wake up early.

She doesn't have to look over at Kakashi's bed to know that he's awake, after all, whenever they had a mission with Kakashi in the past, he would always be the one to wake the rest of them up.

"Wake up, guys," says Kakashi. Chouji stirs a little, but wakes up. It isn't just Ino who didn't sleep well. Shikamaru sits up lazily. He swings his legs off the side of the bed and gets up, followed by Ino and Chouji, each of them stretching differently as they get up. "I guess I'll take the bathroom first."

"Okay," replies the three teenagers. After Kakashi steps into the bathroom, Chouji steps next to Ino.

"You ready?" he asks.

"Yeah," Ino responds hesitantly. Chouji pulls her into a hug.

"You can do it," he says as he pats her back.

"You're so squishy," she whispers, hugging him tight. He lets go of her and sticks his tongue out at her.

"Don't try to change the subject," says Shikamaru, putting his hand on Ino's shoulder.

"Alright," she responds, forcing a smile on her face. Shikamaru pulls her into a hug as well.

"He's right, you know? You can do it," says Shikamaru.

"I just don't want to kill her," says Ino.

"You won't have to," Shikamaru repeats the words from the night before.

"Right," she responds. Shikamaru lets go of her. Right on time, Kakashi comes out of the bathroom. "I'll go to the bathroom now."

"Okay, don't take too long," says Shikamaru, "We gotta set out soon."

"Alright," she responds. Ino steps into the bathroom. Kakashi looks to Shikamaru.

"Pep talk went well?" Kakashi asks.

"I don't know," responds Shikamaru, "She's still not as upbeat."

"But she hasn't been these 8 months," says Chouji.

"That's true…" responds Shikamaru, "I just thought that she'd be better once we got news."

Silence befalls them. They wait as Ino finishes up in the bathroom. Afterwards, Chouji enters the bathroom, and lastly, Shikamaru. Soon, Temari shows up at the door.

"Ready?" she asks.

"Yeah," says Shikamaru, "Let's go."

X

"That's strange," says Temari, "Normally…there are people on guard here."

"I have a bad feeling about this," says Ino. She looks to Shikamaru and Chouji. They give her a look of encouragement, but before anyone can say anything else, a scream pierces the air.

"Shit," curses Temari as she runs towards the direction of the scream. The others prompty follow her. There are only a few seconds of running before they stumble upon a bloody scene…with one hooded figure of a girl in the middle, with a katana raised. There are several shinobi around her, all on their knees. All of their eyes are soulless. The girl raises the katana, ready to slam it down on the necks of the shinobi.

"Stop it, Sakura!" screeches Ino. The kunoichi freezes in her spot. Then, she slowly turns around. Jaded green and vibrant blue clash. It is Sakura.

"Ino," she whispers. There are blood splatters all over Sakura's body. Her pale face is decorated with the red substance. Her vibrant hair suddenly looks pale in comparison. Sakura averts her eyes to the figures kneeling in front of her – all soulless-looking since she had knocked out their consciousness to numb the pain, another trick she had improved on after learning the basics form Tsunade.

She has to kill them.

But Ino can't be here when she does. She looks back at Ino and her team. Kakashi.

Damn.

"Sakura, let them go," says Temari, "This doesn't have to be hard."

"I can't," says Sakura.

"Why not? Are you working for someone?" asks Shikamaru.

Sakura shakes her head slowly. Kakashi looks at her stance. There are no openings, even though she looks rather harmless and unguarded. "Sakura, come back to Konoha with us," says Kakashi.

Sakura shakes her head again. "You guys need to leave."

"Why, Sakura?" asks Temari.

"The Forehead-girl I know would never do something like this!" says Ino, "Who are you working for?"

Sakura visibly stiffens. "No one."

"Tell us, Sakura," says Shikamaru.

"I work alone," says Sakura. Her voice is emotionless. "You guys need to leave if you want to stay alive." Ino tenses. Chouji and Shikamaru both reach out and grab one of her hands in each of theirs.

"Please, Sakura," says Ino. Her voice cracks.

"Sakura, revenge is not the answer," says Kakashi. He takes a step forward.

"Stay back," Sakura snaps.

"If you don't let them go, we're going to have to fight you," says Temari.

"Come on, Sakura," says Chouji.

"I can't," says Sakura. "I have to take revenge." Her eyes flicker to Kakashi for a second. "I have to." Sakura closes her eyes. She has to calculate this fast enough. Knowing Kakashi, he won't attack yet. He won't attack until he knows that she is beyond his words.

"Stop it, Sakura," says Kakashi. "You don't have to be like Sasuke."

"_Don't_ compare me to him," Sakura snaps at him.

"You're acting just like he was," says Kakashi.

"Forehead-girl, _please_," says Ino.

"I'm sorry, Ino-pig, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura says as she quickly makes the signs for her jutsu. Before Kakashi can react, they all fall down onto the ground, their eyes still open, but soulless.

Sakura looks around and, after making sure that there is no one else around, she walks closer to the group. She closes all of their eyes and slowly moves each of them away from her bloody match. After they are all away from any potential danger – also known as Madara, she swiftly returns back to the Suna shinobi. Running past them in a line, she slits their throats with the katana. Instead of stopping to check if any of them are alive, she keeps running.

"I'm sorry," Sakura chokes out. "I'm sorry."

She keeps running, nonstop, for 2 days. Soon, she reaches the cottage. She's been gone for a week or so. She walks inside, feeling a dire need for a bath.

Itachi isn't there.

Madara must have sent him on a mission.

She strips off her clothes as she enters the bathroom and lets the articles fall onto the ground. She turns the faucets on the wall next to the tub and lays down in the tub as the water filters through. She wraps her arms around her legs as she lets her sobs wrack her body.

X

"Sakura!" Ino shouts as she sits up. Sakura isn't there. She looks around. The others are still unconscious. She can't feel Sakura's chakra signature. She got away.

She gets onto her feet and walks towards the others, who are all lying in a row with about a feet or so apart. "Hey, guys, wake up," she says as she shakes Shikamaru and Chouji slightly by the shoulder simultaneously.

"Ugh, what happened?" asks Shikamaru.

"Sakura got away," whispers Ino.

"What?!" Temari says as she gets up.

"We didn't even get to fight her," says Kakashi. "I don't recognize the jutsu she used."

"I think…I think it's an upgraded version of one of Tsunade's," says Ino.

"What do we do now?" asks Chouji.

"She's probably long gone by now," says Kakashi. Temari sits up.

"Oh no, the shinobi," she says. She rushes towards where they saw Sakura before. The others follow behind her. Staring at the open plain in horror, she states, "We failed. They're dead. They're _all_ dead!"

She whirls around. "It's all Konoha's fault!" she screeches.

"Hey, hey, Temari, calm down," says Shikamaru.

"If you guys didn't try to talk to her for so long, she wouldn't have found a way to avoid us so easily! If you guys had just _ambushed _her, we might have won. If _you_," she points at Ino, "hadn't hesitated, we might have won!"

"That's too much, Temari," says Shikamaru. Ino looks down at her feet. Chouji steps next to Ino and holds her hand. Kakashi, instead, checks for survivors, but there are none.

"Why is it that _your_ missing-nin goes after _our_ shinobi! It's unfair!" she screeches. "They all had _family_, but now, they're gone! All because of Konoha!"

"Be careful what you're saying, Temari," says Shikamaru, emotionlessly. Temari stops, then she realizes what she had said.

"I-I'm sorry. It's just-" she says.

"Yeah, we know," says Shikamaru, "It's fine. Let's go back." He falls into step with Ino and Chouji as they walk. Temari looks truly remorseful as she walks ahead, leading them back. Kakashi steps next to her.

"Don't feel bad," he says, "They understand."

"I just…I think I should apologize to Ino," Temari says. She's normally tougher than this.

"Maybe," says Kakashi.

They walk the rest of the way in silence. Gaara is waiting in his office when they arrive. He takes one look at Temari and nods.

"The mission was a failure," he says.

"Mana disappeared before we got to fight her," says Kakashi.

"So what of my men?" Gaara asks.

"Dead," says Kakashi. Gaara sighs.

"I understand," Gaara says, "Be ready for tomorrow. She might strike again."

"Okay," says Kakashi.

"You may go back to your rooms now," says Gaara. "Temari, stay behind."

"Yes, Gaara," says Temari. She waits until the Konoha shinobi leave before turning to face Gaara.

He quirks an eyebrow at her. "So?"

"Mana is Sakura. She knocked us out with an advanced version of one of the Hokage's jutsu."

"Damn."

"Yeah, you said it."

The next day, Sakura doesn't show up. They don't know that it would be another four months before they see her again.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 4

It was just yesterday that Sakura and Itachi went to town together. Somehow, though, Sakura feels as if it were a dream. All too surreal. It was almost as if the two weren't shinobi. Almost as if they were just normal civilians…and Sakura enjoyed their time together more than she would ever admit.

And that enjoyment is what led Sakura to realize that she likes the Uchiha more than a medic should towards a patient. They are friends, that's a given, but she enjoys his company almost as much as she enjoys that of Naruto's, Ino's, or any other Leaf nin's.

And that worries her. She knows he is going to kill her someday. He is stronger than her. He always has been. And he always will be, no matter how much stronger she gets under Madara's tutelage. It scares her that 'someday' is going to come sooner than she wants it to. Sooner than she can prepare herself for. It scares her because she knows she is going to get hurt more than just physically.

She doesn't know if her heart can take it.

She was only talking big when she dared him to kill her if he didn't want her to go after Sasuke. She hadn't thought much of it at the time. She hadn't thought ahead. Tsunade had always drilled the skill of 'thinking ahead' into her mind, but somehow, that skill had escaped her when it came to Uchiha Itachi.

She sits on the roof of the cottage as she awaits the sunrise.

Being in the same room as Itachi was starting to suffocate her. She never felt this way about anyone else, not even Sasuke. She can't pinpoint what accounts for these feelings. It's strange. As she runs a hand through her hair, she is suddenly reminded of Ino. The two had sworn rivalry towards each other when they were children – even using the lengths of their hair as a competition, but when Sakura had chopped it off during the Chunin exams, Ino had helped her trim it. Ino had even cut her hair to use it against Sakura during their battle. Ino's hair has since grown out, but Sakura always preferred it short, until now. Mainly because Ino isn't around to help her cut it.

Then, she is reminded of four months ago.

She had knocked them out.

If Konoha wasn't sure that she had betrayed them then, they are definitely sure now.

What's worse is the fact that she might have singlehandedly ruined the camaraderie between Konoha and Suna.

She honestly doesn't know what is going on in the ninja world. Madara doesn't tell her anything, Itachi knows just about as much as she does, and everyone from the town nearby pretty much is living under a rock themselves. She lets out an almost-silent groan as she rubs her face with her hands.

The guilt from betraying Konoha is eating her alive.

Danzo is probably rolling around in his grave because of what she's done.

"I'm sorry," she whispers. Her voice sounds pained.

"Who are you apologizing to?" a voice suddenly asks. She whirls around and looks at the intruder.

It's Itachi. "Oh hey," she says as a smile graces her features.

"Hm." She turns away from him and looks toward the pinkish sky. She can feel his eyes burning into her.

"What're you doing up?"

He shrugs slightly, barely.

"I'm waiting for the sun to rise." She feels the familiar suffocation that comes around whenever he does. "Are you hungry or something?"

"No."

"I see."

"Is something wrong?" She suppresses the surprise that threatened to show on her face.

"No, why would you think that?"

"You seem depressed."

"Nah. I'm fine."

"Okay."

"I'll be down to make breakfast soon."

"Aa." To her relief, he leaves the roof. She closes her eyes and sighs. She opens her eyes again. She raises her hands to her cheeks and pats them.

"Cheer up, Sakura," she says to herself. She jumps up and down several times and shakes her body, loosening herself up. She breathes in and out deeply. She then jumps up and climbs down the house; however, before she can enter, she feels a familiar chakra behind her. "Madara."

"You have a mission," he says.

"What is it?"

"Meet up with Uchiha Sasuke in two days and carry out the plan."

Sakura tries her best not to let her surprise show. She knew it was only a matter of time before she faced Sasuke and his team. After all, she is the only other person who knows of Itachi's undead status besides Madara, and she is also the one who kept the fact that Sasuke joined hands with Madara away from Itachi. And, despite the lack of information on her mission, she knows exactly what it is and what to do.

After all, it is one of the main reasons Madara trained her.

"What about him?" She cocks her head a little towards the cottage. "What's he going to do?"

"I am sending him somewhere else."

Sakura nods. "I understand." Madara then walks into the cottage. Sakura always finds it strange how someone as evil as Madara _walks._ Shouldn't he _glide_ or something? It would suit him more. She suppresses a sarcastic laugh as she walks away from the cottage, knowing that it is none of her business what Itachi does on his missions as long as he doesn't get caught, which reminds her of hers.

She sighs.

Sasuke.

"Damn."

When Madara had made Sasuke aware that he still has underlings, Madara had introduced her as Mana, a name Sakura said she _chose_ on a whim – it played well with both of their motives, after all. And though they both knew each other existed, Sasuke had never actually met _Mana_ before. He has only heard of her.

Sakura couldn't afford to kill Sasuke before she successfully helped Madara achieve his goal, because the latter will kill her if she does. She sighs, again, for the umpteenth time today.

For once, Sakura thinks she has too much on her platter. Madara had said that she has to hide her true identity from Sasuke until it's _time_. Whatever that means. She sighs. "Maybe I should dye my hair."

She walks towards a nearby pond and looks at her reflection. She looks only a little different from what she looked like a year ago. She had developed a little more curves, but she is still more on the lithe side. She grew about an inch, but she is pretty sure everyone else grew too. Her hair has grown out, but it isn't as if Sasuke hasn't seen her with long hair before. Nothing can set her apart from herself. She curses herself for not thinking of something before.

But then again, if she does dye it, her face will still be the same. It's not like she can pretend to be her own doppelganger, right? She sighs, yet again. Staring hard into the ground, she tries to think of something else.

She looks back at her reflection. She figures she could take a pointer from Kakashi as well – cover up.

She gets up and walks towards the town. Surely the townsmen are awake at this time, right?

Getting to the town, she finds out that they aren't.

Waiting for another few hours, Sakura watches as the townies finally open their stores. She walks into a small boutique and walks back out minutes later with brown hair dye. She decides that she should buy accessories after dying her hair. She walks back to the cottage.

No one is there. Itachi must have left.

She walks to the bathroom and begins dyeing her hair and brows. An hour later, she walks back out a brunette. She looks in the full-length mirror and barely recognizes herself. If someone told her years ago that she would be a brunette someday, she would have never believed them - after all, Sakura takes pride in her pink tresses. But who would have guessed that Sakura would trade her pink hair for chestnut brown mane? Tearing her eyes away from the stranger in the mirror, Sakura walks out of the cottage and back to town.

At the end of her shopping spree, she has a facemask like Kakashi's. She slips it onto her face and looks at her reflection in the bathroom mirror of the cottage. She has altered her hairstyle slightly, so that the part fell to the side instead of in the middle. Under her cloak, she wears a black turtle-neck sleeveless midriff top. On her arms are bandages, wrapped tightly from fingertips to mid-bicep. She wears sweat pants that hang low on her hips. On one leg, the pants are lifted up and held in place by her weapon pouch. Her leg is anything but bare, with bandages wrapped around it as well. On the other leg, her sweatpants reach the top of her usual boots. It is enough to make her look completely different.

And with that, she takes off towards the meeting point.

After two days filled with running, waiting, and other actions along those lines, Sakura stands face to face with Sasuke for the first time in a year and a half.

"Uchiha Sasuke, I presume," says Sakura, her voice sounding lower than natural, "This is your team?" She glances over the red haired woman, the fish-like man, and the giant, all of whom she had met numerous times before. "I'm Mana."

"Heard you're quite the killing machine," says Suigetsu, smirking. "I'm Suigetsu. Karin. Juugo and Sasuke." He points accordingly.

Sakura doesn't respond verbally. She tilts her head in appreciation of the 'compliment.' She looks back at Sasuke and locks eyes with him. Sasuke couldn't shake off the feeling of nostalgia that washed over him as he looked at the green-eyed brunette in front of him.

"What's your last name?" Sasuke asks.

"The less personal information you know, the better," says Sakura. Damn Sasuke for being so analytical.

Sasuke scoffs slightly and turns away. "We have a mission to complete."

Karin looks at the girl. She can tell that Sasuke thinks he recognizes her from somewhere. She does too. So, as they leap from tree to tree, Karin falls into step with the girl clad in a black cloak.

"Hey," she says, placing a smile on her face.

"Hi," responds Sakura.

"You really remind me of someone," says Karin.

"I get that a lot." Sakura is sarcastic.

"We hear that you're a medic," says Juugo.

"What of it?" asks Sakura.

"Karin here is our _medic_," says Suigetsu, putting unnecessary emphasis on the word.

"So?" asks Sakura.

"You're not very friendly, are you, Mana?" asks Karin.

"What do you think?" asks Sakura. This is all a part of the mission after all. It will do her no good to create any form of bonds with these people. "I am here to complete this mission. After this, I doubt we'll bump into each other much. Let's just get this over with."

All three of them understand and catch up to their leader. Sakura trails a little behind them, glaring holes into Sasuke's back. She, surprisingly, doesn't feel any pain in seeing him again. She doesn't feel any love. It is strange to her.

"Stop," Sasuke says after hours of running. "We will train to get accustomed to the kunoichi's techniques."

"I'll go, I guess," says Karin.

Sakura hesitantly nods. She didn't expected this, after all, why did it even matter if they could function as a team? It's not as if the term means _anything _to Sasuke. Her eyes narrow. He's trying to test her. See if she is familiar in ways other than the eyes. She will have to refrain from using her stronger techniques and familiar ones. She can't have them knowing her whole repertoire after all.

"How about a taijutsu only match?" asks Sakura, "We'll need our chakra."

"I'm fine with that," says Karin, "That should be enough for us to be able to figure out how your thoughts work, right, Sasuke-kun?"

"Hm," says Sasuke, looking over Sakura, contemplatively.

Karin walks further away from her. "I'm ready when you're ready." Sakura figures there's no point in waiting for her to attack first, so she lunges forward, aiming a knee at Karin's stomach. Karin dodges to the side and tries to grab Sakura, but Sakura quickly ducks and launches a punch at Karin's abdomen. It connects. Sasuke, Suigetsu and Juugo watch as Karin is sent across the clearing.

Mana was so fast.

"I'll get to healing," says Sakura, ignoring the looks.

"Her abilities…" says Suigetsu, pointing at Sakura who is walking towards Karin.

"The Hokage," says Juugo.

Sasuke narrows his eyes. It can't be, right? It can't be Sakura. For one, Sakura has ridiculous pink hair and she would never work for Madara. He watches as the brunette walks up to an injured Karin, having slammed into a tree as a result of Mana's attack. Mana gets on one knee in front of Karin and holds her bandaged arms out at Karin. In a matter of seconds, Karin is all better. The two kunoichi walk back towards the men.

"Who are you?" asks Suigetsu.

"Mana," says Sakura, "We've already been through this."

"Your abilities are similar to the Hokage's. Why is that?" asks Suigetsu.

"I'm being trained by Madara, as you already know," says Sakura, "He thinks it will work well in case I ever go against Tsunade." She shrugs. "Now I suggest you stop suspecting me of unreasonable things." Her eyes narrow.

"What village are you from?" asks Sasuke, his voice command-like.

"None," replies Sakura, glaring at the teenager. Sasuke doesn't respond and glares back at her. As the other three get the feeling that the two are about to attack each other, Karin steps in.

"Guys, come on, we have a mission to complete," says Karin.

"Or you guys can fight it out," says Suigetsu, smirking.

"Shut up, Suigetsu," snaps Karin. Sakura breaks the eye contact with Sasuke and glances at the two. She quickly glances at the quiet Juugo as well. When she looks back at Sasuke, she opens her mouth.

"We need to get going."

Sasuke doesn't respond to her. He continues glaring at her. There is such a familiarity about her. It puts him on edge. Especially since he doesn't feel uncomfortable around her like he is supposed to. It is strange. She is also keeping so many secrets from them that it is suspicious. Sure, missing-nins tend not to share much about themselves, but still, they normally aren't secretive to this level. And, the girl doesn't have any forehead protector on her. No insignia over her attire to tell them which village she derives from.

He glances at Karin. She feels it too. It isn't just in his head.

X

Itachi looks at the person in front of him. A year ago, he would have never thought that this day would ever come. Then again, a year ago, he wouldn't have thought he would still be alive.

"Uchiha Itachi," says the woman across from him, her blonde hair in two low pigtails. She is surprised by his appearance, but she doesn't let it deter her, after all, Uchiha Itachi is anything but evil.

"Hokage-sama," says Itachi, bowing ever so slightly.

"What are you doing here?" she asks. "How…How are you alive?"

"I am back to tell you some valuable information," says Itachi, "And your apprentice found me. You trained her well."

"Sakura found you?! Where is she now?" asks Tsunade.

"I don't know," says Itachi. It is the truth after all.

Tsunade sighs. "Well, what is this valuable information?"

"It pertains to Madara."

"Tell me."

"On two conditions."

"What is it?"

"You let my brother live and you relay current events to me."

"I can't control that, Uchiha. Other villages are after his blood as well."

"You have ways to halt them."

"Yes, I do, but that doesn't mean that I should use them."

"You should reconsider this."

"Why is that?"

"It pertains to your dear apprentice as well." Tsunade's attitude changes.

"Madara has Sakura hostage?!" asks Tsunade, fearing for the worst.

"Do you agree to my conditions?" Tsunade glares at him. Damn Uchihas.

After a silence, "Fine."

Itachi smirks slightly. "Madara sent me here to attack Konoha. To be exact, he wants me to take down Nara Shikaku." Tsunade glares at her desk contemplatively.

"Keep going."

"I assume you are not aware that your apprentice struck a deal with Madara." His voice is low.

"What?"

"If he trains her, she works for him."

"No," says Tsunade, shaking her head, "That doesn't sound like Sakura."

Itachi doesn't respond.

"Is that all? This isn't-"

"No."

"Well?"

"I am going to kill her soon."

"What?! I won't let you!"

"She is a threat to both Konoha and Sasuke."

"Sakura isn't like that." Tsunade glares at him. "What do you want me to do?"

"I will tell you about what I know of Madara and his plans. In return, you tell me what my brother is up to and assist me in my missions for Madara."

"You want to be our spy?"

"So long as my brother's life is guaranteed."

Tsunade sighs and closes her eyes. After a moment, she speaks. "Fine. I'll let Shikaku know. He will plan accordingly…and about Sasuke…if you're working for Madara, shouldn't you know everything already?"

"What do you mean?"

"Sasuke is working with Madara after all." Itachi's eyes narrow. The kunoichi is working for Madara…and so is Sasuke? Is she unaware of this fact or has she deliberately kept it from him?

"Madara keeps many things to himself."

"I see. So what of Sakura?"

"She is his right-hand man."

"What? He'll kill her!"

"You underestimate her."

"Madara is evil, he _will_ do it."

"Then I believe you have things to do." Tsunade's eyebrows furrow. She'll have to get Sakura back on Konoha's side before Madara or Itachi kills her. Either that, or Sakura dies.

"Anything else on my brother?"

"We haven't heard from him in four months."

"I see," says Itachi. He turns around, ready to walk away. "I will contact you."

"Okay." At Itachi's departure, Tsunade laces her fingers together in front of her, deep in thought. "Find me Nara Shikaku!"

X

"Damn," says Suigetsu, marveling at the scene in front of him. He, Sasuke, Karin and Juugo had barely moved a muscle before the brown-haired kunoichi took out the group of twenty shinobi in front of them. "You live up to your title well."

Sakura shrugs, simply stepping over a body. "Let's go."

Sasuke narrows his eyes. "They're not dead."

"What is your point?" asks Sakura. Over the past two days, they have been at each other's throats constantly. Sasuke meets her glare. Sakura sighs. "I kill only when necessary."

He scoffs and walks by her, Karin, Suigetsu and Juugo following him like lost puppies. Sakura lets out a scoff of her own and follows after them.

"We're here," says Karin. "Otogakure."

"I will go find Kabuto," says Sasuke.

"I'm coming with you," says Mana. Sasuke glowers at her. "What?"

"No."

"You don't have a say in this. Either I'm coming with you or you're not going at all. Madara's orders."

"I don't take orders from Madara."

"Good to know where you stand." Sasuke silences. "Let's go, then. You three will take care of the enemy shinobi." Karin glares at Sakura.

"We don't take orders from you," says Karin.

"You will so long as Madara orders so."

"We don't listen to Madara, miss," says Suigetsu.

"I am also under orders to take out anyone disloyal to Madara," says Sakura, glaring at them.

"He knows that we were never loyal to him," says Suigetsu.

"You will do well not to make an enemy out of either Madara or me if you wish to live," Sakura's voice is two tones lower and fifty degrees colder. Silence takes over between them.

"Let's go," says Sasuke. There is no point in fighting with Madara's lackey. Yet. "Karin, you're coming too." Karin nods and follows him. Sakura follows behind Karin as they enter the hideout.

"This way," says Karin after they reach an intersection. Sasuke doesn't respond and follows behind her. Sakura does the same. They walk for several minutes until they reach a door. "He should be in there."

They look at Sakura. Sakura nods and punches the door. It crumbles at the impact.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" says Kabuto, watching the intruders. After seconds of pointless staring and glowering, as if sizing each other up, Kabuto lurches forward at who he deems the weakpoint – Karin. Before Karin can react, Sakura steps in front of her. Before Kabuto reaches her, he stops.

"You…" he says.

"Mana," Sakura responds.

"Really now," he responds. He sounds amused.

"Yes."

"Well what are you here for?"

"Madara would like to propose an alliance between Otogakure and Akatsuki."

He pauses. "Oh how the great have fallen." He looks at Sasuke and back at Sakura. He knows. Sakura's eyes narrow. How is it even possible that he can tell and one of the best sensor-types, Karin, can't?

"What do you mean?" asks Sasuke.

"Nothing," responds Kabuto, smirking. Sasuke's eyebrows furrow in suspicion. "Tell me, Mana-_san_, why do you reek of Uchiha?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," says Sakura. Before Kabuto can talk, Sakura cuts him off. "Now, do you agree to our proposition or not?"

"Sure, why not? I've been planning on looking for him for years now…though he somehow always _avoids_ our meetings some way or another." He looks at Sakura as if he suspects her to be behind the delays. "Tell Madara that I'll be in touch." He smirks.

"Okay," says Sakura. She turns around and walks out of the room. Karin and Sasuke reluctantly follow her. This was not how they expected things to go.

Walking outside of the compound, they find Suigetsu and Juugo completely bored with only a handful of dead shinobi around them.

"How did it go?" asks Suigetsu.

"It's done," says Sakura. Sasuke glares at her. Something about her made Kabuto give in. He'll find out what it is by the end of this mission.

X

Naruto walks through Konoha. It has been rebuilt successfully – almost exactly like how it used to be. He walks by Sakura's home. Her parents aren't home as usual. No one is. He looks down at the ground, remembering his pink-haired friend. It's crazy how it all turned out so wrong.

"Naruto!" someone calls. Naruto turns around. It's Ino.

"Hey, Ino," says Naruto.

"What're you doing around here?" she asks, placing a smile on her face.

"I was heading to Ichiraku's."

"Oh, isn't that…" She points towards the opposite direction that Naruto was heading.

Naruto chuckles and throws his arms behind his head in a laidback manner. "You caught me."

"You're not the only one who still misses her, you know." Naruto looks at Ino. Her smile is gone. She is looking at the ground as well.

"Yeah…I know. Sorry."

"Let's go get some ramen. My treat. We can grab Hinata and my team along the way," she says, pulling up her smile again. She winks at him.

"Okay," says Naruto, happier. They easily find Shikamaru and Chouji nearby and Hinata at the Hyuuga compound. They walk towards Ichiraku's. Just when they are almost ten feet away, an explosion disrupts them.

"Byakugan!" Hinata activates her bloodline limit. She gasps.

"What is it, Hinata?" asks Ino.

"Shikamaru's home…" says Hinata. Ino whirls around and looks at Shikamaru. He is surprised. Instinctively, he rushes towards his home. The rest of them chase after him.

The view when they arrive isn't a welcoming one. His compound is engulfed in flames. He looks around at the arriving members of the Nara clan. His parents aren't there.

"Ensui, where are my parents?" asks Shikamaru, spotting his relative.

"You haven't seen them?" asks Ensui. Shikamaru fears the worst. Ino and Chouji instinctively grab on to him to prevent him from doing anything stupid.

They watch helplessly as the flames are put out. Minutes later, two stretchers are pulled out by Shizune and her medic-nins. As she passes Shikamaru and Ino, she gives Ino a look. The look tells Ino that the two charred bodies are those of Shikamaru's parents. Ino starts tearing up, but she wipes away the tears before they fall. She grabs Shikamaru into a tight hug and Chouji follows, embracing her and Shikamaru.

Naruto and Hinata watch helplessly. He looks at Hinata. "Did you see what happened?"

"…I have to talk to Tsunade-sama," says Hinata. She is determined. Over the past year, she has become more so. Her diligence and strong resolve has begun shining.

"I'm coming with you," says Naruto. He has a strange feeling that it has something to do with both of his ex-teammates. They fall into a quick stroll as they go towards Tsunade's tower. They wait as one of the Chunin run to tell Tsunade of their appearance.

"You may see her," says the Chunin as the two of them walk towards Tsunade's office.

After knocking, they enter the room. Tsunade is lost behind her stacks of paper.

"What is it, Naruto, Hinata?" she asks.

"D-Do you know what happened to the Nara compound?" asks Hinata.

"Yes," says Tsunade. "Shizune just told me moments ago. An investigation is in order."

"Uchiha Itachi did it." Naruto looks at Hinata, surprised.

"How are you so sure?"

"I saw him."

"There's no way, Hinata-chan, he's dead," says Naruto.

"I saw him," repeats Hinata.

"Hinata, I'm going to need you to not say anything. Naruto, you too. I need you two to go find Shikamaru, Ino, Chouji, and the rest of them."

"Okay," says Hinata. Naruto looks back and forth between the two women, confused.

"I will reveal the truth in a bit," says Tsunade. "Go find them." Naruto reluctantly nods. Hinata follows him out of the room. They immediately go find their friends.

In less than an hour, all of them are in Tsunade's office. Shikamaru is seated in front of Tsunade with Ino and Chouji next to him. The rest of the Konoha 10 and Sai are spread around the room.

"I'm sure you are all aware of what happened at the Nara compound today," says Tsunade. "There is an explanation behind it. Shikamaru, your parents are fine." Shikamaru looks up at Tsunade, surprised.

"But, Tsunade-sama, Shizune said-" says Ino. Tsunade holds up her hand, telling Ino to stop.

"It's a cover up," says Tsunade, "Hinata, who did you see before?"

"I saw Uchiha Itachi," says Hinata. Surprised gasps sound the room.

"Yes, Uchiha Itachi is alive and well…thanks to Sakura," says Tsunade, lacing her fingers together in front of her. "I was not planning on telling you all of this, but since Hinata saw Itachi, I have no other choice. Shikamaru, your parents are hiding. They are not allowed to meet with anyone currently, but they are fine." They all watch as a smile crosses Shikamaru's face. They all smile as well, happy for him. Ino and Chouji hug Shikamaru in happiness.

"That's not all," says Tsunade, plastering a thoughtful look on her face, "Uchiha Itachi came to find me yesterday. He told me that Madara ordered him to kill Shikamaru's father, but in return for Sasuke's freedom, he'll be our spy. A year ago, Madara found Sakura and agreed to train her as long as she works for him…Itachi has made it his mission to kill Sakura if she threatens Sasuke's life. And Madara will no doubt kill Sakura eventually."

"Tsunade-baa-chan, you know we won't let them do that to Sakura," says Naruto.

"Exactly. Which is why I'm sending all of you on a mission to find her again. Don't come back until you find her," says Tsunade, "According to Uchiha Itachi, their hideout is near the border of Lightning country...and if Sakura has been training under Madara, it may take all of you to subdue her."


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 5

Sakura watches as Karin lifts her sleeve and lets Sasuke bite her. Seriously, is it really necessary for him to add to Karin's array of bite-marks, when a completely able medic is available? Sasuke really doesn't trust her. It made Sakura wonder if Sasuke would let her heal him if he knew who she actually is.

"Done?" asks Sakura when Sasuke lets go of Karin. Sasuke ignores her. Sakura shrugs and turns to look at Suigetsu and Juugo. They are injured as well, so she walks over to them and begins healing Suigetsu's injuries.

Over the past week, she realized that Sasuke really dislikes her and Karin feels nothing towards her, except maybe suspicion. On the other hand, Suigetsu and Juugo are rather friendly with her even if she doesn't want them to be. But, their attempts to be friendly with her were sort of, dare she say it, heartwarming. They are nothing like the Uchiha she constantly has contact with and it is refreshing. A welcome change. But, with the end of this ridiculous mission, she has head back to the cottage to one uptight Uchiha.

"Where are you going to go now, Mana?" asks Suigetsu.

"I'm going to go home," she responds, "Or the closest thing anything can get to home for a missing-nin." She moves her hands from looming over his arm to his chest.

"Where is that?" asks Suigetsu.

"Let me ask you something, Suigetsu," says Sakura, "Where's yours?"

Suigetsu doesn't respond. Not because he's ignoring Sakura's question, but because he isn't sure what the answer is. "But you're the one going _home_."

"Home is what I currently call where I reside when Madara doesn't need me."

"I'm assuming you're not going to tell me where that is."

"Why do you want to know?"

Suigetsu shrugs. "Just asking." He glances at Karin and Sasuke who are talking amongst themselves. "Did you learn anything from watching Karin?"

"A little," says Mana, "But I would never let anyone bite me."

Suigetsu lets out a laugh. "Karin doesn't really know how to heal like a normal medic."

"I could teach her," says Mana, "…If she's willing to learn."

"Hey Karin!" yells Suigetsu, "Mana says she'll teach you medical jutsu." Karin glares at him.

"I don't need it!" she hisses.

"Okay, you can keep those _adorable_ bite marks on your arms then!" Suigetsu retorts back.

Sakura suppresses the urge to laugh. The two always argue. It's entertaining and refreshing. Especially with all the things going on nowadays. She lets her eyes stray to Sasuke momentarily. She wonders what his reaction would be when he finds out Itachi is actually alive. Shaking the thought out of her mind, she focuses on healing Suigetsu. After that, she moves on to Juugo.

"Mana-san, I've been wondering something," says Juugo.

"What is it?" she responds, while healing his arm.

"Why are you working for Madara?" Sakura looks at him in surprise. "I can tell you're a nice person, but you want to block us out."

"I…" Sakura pauses. "He's helping me towards my goal."

"What is your goal?" Suigetsu intervenes. He looks at Sakura expectantly.

"To avenge my family," responds Sakura. She forces herself not to glance at Sasuke.

"Sounds like someone else I know…" says Suigetsu. He looks to Sasuke. Sasuke is looking at them. He heard it all.

"Are you from a clan?" asks Sasuke.

"No," says Sakura, "I'm from a small family."

"Why were they killed?" asks Juugo.

Sakura doesn't answer immediately and moves her hands over to Juugo's chest. "That's not something you should concern yourself with."

Sasuke looks at the brunette. Definitely not Sakura. Sakura's parents are alive and well, after all. And, though this kunoichi has the same skills as Tsunade too, Mana and Sakura are too different to be the same person. Their personalities are different. Their fighting skills are different. Hell, the way they act around Sasuke is completely different. Had Mana been Sakura, she would have tried her best to get Madara to put them on the same missions all the time. He glances at Karin. Her eyes are narrowed. She is still suspicious, if not more so now.

"What?" he asks as he gets closer to her.

"She's suspicious. She's hiding something. Her chakra signature…it definitely is the same as Haruno Sakura's." Sasuke sighs. They've been over this several times.

"There's no way Madara would agree to train Sakura," says Sasuke.

"You never know, Sasuke-kun. She's hiding a lot…and it has been a while since we've last encountered her…" Sasuke realizes something at her words.

"She wasn't there the last time I met with Leaf nin's," says Sasuke.

"We can't be sure until she tells us," says Karin, "They have the same chakra and the same eyes."

_And the same forehead_, Sasuke almost added. He looks back at Mana, Juugo and Suigetsu. Mana is still healing Juugo and the two men are watching her, obviously interested.

"I wish you were staying with us, Mana," says Suigetsu. Mana doesn't even spare him a look.

"Why is that?" she asks, focused on healing Juugo.

"Because we need a woman around here," he responds, loud enough for Karin to hear. Karin, of course, takes offense, but before Karin responds, Mana does so.

"You guys have Karin," says Mana, "She's more than capable." Karin beams with confidence at Madara's closest underling's acknowledgement.

"But she's flat chested," responds Suigetsu. A vein pops in Karin's mind, but yet again, Mana intervenes.

"Well, that's not such a bad thing if you think about it. Years from now, she won't have saggy boobs," says Mana. The look on Suigetsu's face is priceless and Juugo lets out a laugh. Karin joins Juugo in laughing. Sasuke looks Mana from head to toe again. Out of nowhere, a reminder of his other goal reaches his mind – eventually he will have to repopulate his clan.

"You're staring at her, Sasuke-kun," says Karin.

"Hm."

"It's not the usual look...You're intrigued by her."

Sasuke doesn't respond.

"I hope that under that mask, she's actually really ugly," mutters Karin. Sasuke ignores her and watches as Juugo and Suigetsu talk to the brunette. She finished healing them a while ago.

"I bet you and Sasuke could get along well if you both put down your pride for a second," says Suigetsu, "You're both avengers, after all."

Sakura has to force herself not to snap at Suigetsu and tell him not to compare her to him. "I don't know about that. It's probably not going to happen."

"Why not?" asks Juugo.

"Today's my last day with you guys for a while," says Sakura. She doesn't want to seem too eager to leave them or too eager to stay with them. She has since admitted to herself that she wouldn't mind staying with Juugo and Suigetsu. Even Karin is okay.

"I'm sure Madara would be fine with you staying with us," says Suigetsu.

_No he wouldn't_, Sakura thinks. "Nah. I have someone waiting for me."

"Boyfriend?" asks Suigetsu.

"No. Definitely not," says Sakura. At the curious look that the two sent her, she continues. "A patient."

"Madara lets you heal others?" asks Juugo.

"Shhh," she says in response. The less they know, the better, right?

Suigetsu laughs. "I thought you were completely loyal to Madara."

"I don't agree with everything he does and he doesn't control my life," responds Sakura.

"To be honest, Mana, when I first met you a week ago, I thought you would be exactly like Sasuke," whispers Suigetsu, "Thank god you aren't. We don't need two of him walking around." Sakura smiles at his words.

"Well, I'm glad I convinced you otherwise," says Sakura.

"I bet you're really pretty under that mask," says Suigetsu, "Not trying to be flirty or anything."

"Meh," Sakura says. She shrugs and looks up at the sky. Suddenly, she is reminded of Itachi. _I wonder how he's fairing…_ Noticing the direction her thoughts are heading, she pinches herself slightly on the thigh.

"I guess I'll go back now." She stands up and pats dirt and such off of her pants.

"We'll see you around then," says Suigetsu.

"Bye," says Juugo.

"Yeah. Don't hesitate to ask me for help if you need it," she says. She turns around to face Karin and Sasuke. "Bye." Karin waves briefly and Sasuke simply nods. And with that, Sakura heads back to the cottage.

X

Sakura stops in her tracks. A familiar chakra signature fluctuates to her side. She is almost scared to turn and look at the source. Almost. She finds herself face to face with Hatake Kakashi.

"Sakura?"

Oh geez.

It seems that Sasuke and his team are the only ones that can't tell.

Sakura doesn't respond. "You are Sakura, aren't you?" Sakura takes a deep breath.

"Kakashi-sensei."

"Come back to Konoha, Sakura."

"I can't."

"Because you have to kill Sasuke?"

"Yes."

"You don't have to."

"His clan killed my parents, Kakashi-sensei. I can't just let that go." She lifts her arms in preparation to do her anesthesia jutsu, ready to run if she has to.

"I don't want to fight you. I just want to talk."

"This conversation is going nowhere."

"Sakura, you saw what happened to Sasuke when he chose this road."

"I'm not like him."

"Yet you're doing the same unforgivable things to get power."

"I won't hurt Konoha."

"But you've hurt Suna greatly."

Sakura doesn't respond. She doesn't know how to.

"Come on, Sakura. You're better than this."

"I'm sorry, sensei." Before she can complete her jutsu, another familiar chakra arrives. _Fuck_. _Madara._

"What do we have here?" Madara asks, slightly amused.

"Go away, Madara," says Sakura. Kakashi is surprised.

He responds with a glare.

"Copy-Ninja Hatake Kakashi," says Madara, "He was your sensei, was he not?"

"Yes," says Sakura.

_Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn._ Sakura chants in her head. She'll be damned if she lets anything happens to Kakashi because of her.

"You're not going to fight him?"

"Not unless necessary."

Kakashi watches the interaction. Sakura works for Madara?

Madara's eyes narrow at her. Just when Kakashi thought that Madara is going to attack her, he speaks instead.

"Fine. Get rid of him. I will see you at the cottage." Sakura nods as Madara leaves in a whirl of wind.

"…You're working for _Madara_?"

"He's been training me."

"How could you stoop so low?"

"I'm not-" Kakashi sees her almost falter, but instead, Sakura's eyes glaze over, as if possessed. She glares at him. "You need to leave."

"Sakura-"

"I'm not going back with you. If I do, my training would have been for nothing." By the look in Sakura's eyes, he can tell that the training was terrible. "Leave, Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi hesitantly turns around and takes steps away from her. If she has been training under Madara, there is no doubt in his mind that she is immensely strong now; however, through that training, Sakura is no longer mentally stable – and that, might just be Konoha's trump card.

Sakura watches as Kakashi steps away from her. After he no longer can be seen, she turns around and continues back to the cottage. She doesn't know why, but she has to go back to the cottage.

Almost as if it is the only thing holding her together.

X

Itachi walks into the cottage. His senses tell him that Sakura is already back, but she is in the bathroom. It reminds him of the last time he came back and she was in the bathroom four months ago.

_He has just been back for a few seconds when Sakura's chakra starts fluctuating dangerously, almost like a dying person. Before he knows what he's doing, he is at the bathroom door, knocking on it. Turning the doorknob, he realizes that it's not locked. He opens the door and hesitantly looks at the tub. _

_ There she is. _

_ Trying to drown herself. _

_ He quickly grabs her cloak from the floor and wraps it around her as he lifts her out of the tub overflowing with water. Laying her on the ground, he places his ear close to her mouth to see if she's still breathing. She isn't. Adrenaline courses through him as he places his hands over her chest and starts trying to get her heart beating. _

_ He doesn't know what he's doing. All he knows is that she can't die. _

_ The thought of her dying actually terrifies him. _

_ At that thought, Sakura lurches forward, coughing out water. He moves away, almost reluctantly, and watches as she coughs out all the water she inhaled. After all of the water is gone from her system, she simply lays back down emotionlessly. Itachi finds himself worried for once, and he doesn't like it. He turns to leave the room._

_ "Why did you do it?" she asks, stopping him in his tracks. He almost couldn't hear her._

_ He doesn't respond. She doesn't have to look at him to know that he doesn't know what she means. _

_ "Save me. Just now." Her voice is soft and weak. Itachi doesn't know how to respond. He doesn't know why he saved her. He just did. He realizes that he doesn't know the answer to many questions, especially when it comes to her. So he lies. _

_ "Because I'm not fully cured," he responds, monotone. Silence takes over, then she lets out a cold laugh. He doesn't turn around to look at her. _

_ "It seems that a medic is all I am now," she mutters. She sounds hurt. He forces himself to leave the room. An hour later, when she steps out of the bathroom, it is as if nothing ever happened._

He focuses on her chakra instinctively, making sure she is alive. She is about to step out of the bathroom, it seems. He sits on the bed and waits. When she comes out, she looks at him.

"Hey," she says, placing a warm smile on her face. He almost couldn't recognize her, not because of the smile or even because of the brown hair – but because of her eyes. They are not warm – a word he has come to associate with the kunoichi. Instead, they are emotionless. Cold.

"What happened?" he asks, unable to stop himself.

"What do you mean?"

His eyes narrow at her. He doesn't know how to answer her.

"You hungry?" she asks.

"Did you know that Sasuke is working for Madara?" She tenses, telling Itachi the answer. "Why did you not tell me?" She doesn't turn to look at him. "Did Madara tell you not to?" She doesn't answer. He gets up from the bed and only takes a few steps towards her when she runs to the bathroom, locking the door behind her. He hears her turn on the faucet, likely so he wouldn't hear her, but he hears it anyways. Her crying.

Suddenly, he feels bad. He feels bad for questioning her. He feels bad for betraying her – telling Tsunade to subdue her and where to do it. He feels bad for telling her that she is only alive because she is curing him. He feels bad for using her. He feels bad for a lot of things, but the thing he feels the worse about…is making her cry.

He remembers Madara's words the day he came to tell him of his mission a week or so ago.

_"You seem reluctant to leave. Is it because of the kunoichi?" Madara asks, "You haven't realized it yet, have you?" Itachi glares at the man. _

_ "Realized what?"_

_ "That you've fallen for her." Madara is mocking him._

_ "Not possible."_

_ Madara simply smirks before he leaves. _

It's impossible, right? Before he can entertain his thoughts any further, he feels eleven chakra signatures outside. It seems as if the Konoha shinobi have arrived.

"Sakura-chan!" yells an obnoxious voice, busting in the door.

Yes, they have definitely arrived.

X

Naruto looks around the cottage. Sakura is not in sight. Only one Uchiha Itachi stands in the middle of the room, but he can feel Sakura's chakra inside the residence. He can hear water running as well.

"Where is she?" he asks the stoic Uchiha.

"She's in the bathroom," says Itachi. Suddenly, he attacks Naruto, holding him in a chokehold. Right on time, Sakura walks out of the bathroom. Despite being trapped by Itachi, he gapes at Sakura's new hair. Spotting Itachi and Naruto, Sakura narrows her eyes.

"Sakura-chan, your hair," he says.

"Let go of him," says Sakura to Itachi. Itachi doesn't comply. Instead, he tightens his hold on Naruto. Sakura lets out a low, feral growl. "Let go of him. _Now_."

Itachi doesn't react. In a second, Sakura is behind Itachi. Chakra scalpel at his neck. "Let go of him," she repeats. Itachi hesitantly lets go of Naruto, but Sakura doesn't lower her hand.

"Go outside, Naruto," she says. She doesn't take her eyes off of Itachi. Naruto stays put. "Go _outside,_ Naruto." Naruto reluctantly steps outside. The others have hidden their chakra. After a silence, "You told Konoha?"

"No," he lies. She is too smart for her own good.

"Then how do they know about this cottage?"

"I don't know."

"You're lying." He quirks an eyebrow at her. "Your last mission was to take down Nara Shikaku, was it not? Now you're telling me that you let them _follow_ you back here? With your skills, you would have detected them following you immediately."

"Maybe they followed you."

"How _dare_ you?"

"No," Itachi says as he quickly grabs her hand and places it near her own neck while her other arm is secured behind her back. "How dare you? You didn't tell me about Sasuke."

"Is this what it's all about?" she asks. The chakra around her hand disappears. "You betrayed me because I didn't tell you that your brother is involved with your enemy?"

He doesn't answer her. Instead, he pushes her outside where her old comrades await.

"I can't believe you did this," says Sakura, "Madara will know."

"Maybe Madara doesn't care about you as much as you'd like to think."

"What're you talking about?"

To her chagrin, he doesn't answer her, yet again. He shoots a look at Naruto.

"Ino, the handcuffs," orders Naruto. Ino immediately reaches into her pack and pulls out chakra suppressing handcuffs. She walks closer to Sakura and Itachi. Sakura has her eyes closed as if collecting herself and her brows are furrowed. Itachi, with his hands still wrapped around her wrists tightly, shifts so that both of Sakura's hands are behind her back. Sakura feels as the cold metal locks into place around her wrists and her chakra is drained out of her. Sakura glares at her two best friends.

"I can take her from here, Uchiha-san," says Ino, bowing slightly in reverence. Sakura scoffs.

"You're going to have to knock me out to keep me from retaliating, Ino," taunts Sakura, "Or can you not do it?" Ino is taken aback at Sakura's tone. Before Sakura can say any more, Itachi hits her neck lightly, but hard enough to knock her out.

"She's strong," advises Itachi.

"Maybe even stronger than you," says a cold voice from the side. All of the Konoha 11 and Itachi look to the side, surprised to see Sakura standing there, awake. He glances at the clone in Ino's arms. Substitution jutsu? No, the substitute would have disappeared much earlier. How did he not detect it?

"Sakura, come on, you're not like this," says Ino, "You never even knew your birth parents."

"You look me in the eye and tell me you wouldn't be angry at the person who killed your family," says Sakura. When Ino doesn't respond, Sakura continues, "Exactly. I have to do this." Her clone disappears. The handcuffs fall on the ground, forgotten.

"But Sakura-chan, Sasuke didn't do any of it! He wasn't even born when it happened!" says Naruto.

"He killed my grandpa," says Sakura.

"Grandpa or not, Danzo was evil," says Kiba.

Itachi almost couldn't conceal his surprise. _Danzo_?

Sakura must have seen his barely detectable reaction. "Yes, Danzo was my grandfather. The grandfather I'm going to avenge." She glares at him.

"Guys, get ready," whispers Kiba to Ino, Hinata, Neji and Shikamaru. The four of them nod and take a few steps in separate directions.

"Sakura-chan, please," begs Naruto, "I don't want to fight you."

"Funny, that's the same thing Kakashi-sensei said before," says Sakura.

"Kakashi-sensei? Where is he?" asks Naruto, worry appearing on his features. "What did you do to him, Sakura-chan?" Sakura scoffs.

"I just _love_ how you say 'Sakura-chan, you're not like that,' yet you're so fast to judge." A guilty look takes over Naruto's face. Sakura laughs coldly.

Itachi finds himself in a predicament. He doesn't know what to do. He can't let Sakura and Madara meet up again. If they do, Madara will find out that Itachi isn't on his side after all, and is actually planning on protecting Konoha, even after all that has occurred. And, although he still feels lied to by Sakura, he can't swallow the idea of her no longer being alive. So, he would have to make sure that the Konoha nin take Sakura back to Konoha.

He'll have to fight her.

"Back up, Naruto-kun," says Itachi. His eyes are burning into Sakura. Sakura lets out a slight laugh. She returns the favor through glaring at him. Their eyes meeting and not leaving each other. In his peripheral vision, he sees all of the Konoha ninja back away. He barely catches Sakura's best friend, two Hyuuga's and a Nara part from the others and form a square around him and Sakura.

"You're going to fight me?" asks Sakura. Her voice is deceptively gentle.

"Aa," says Itachi.

Before anyone sees it coming, Itachi is dodging one of Sakura's deadly kicks. His sharingan is activated, having been so since the beginning of his mission a week or so ago. He grabs her leg after the offensive chakra subsides. He swings a punch towards her stomach. She twists out of the way of his punch and aims her other leg at him. He ducks and, like he did with the other leg, grabs it. With both her legs trapped, she lets her arms land on the ground and she turns around so that her body twists. He lets go of her legs. The two of them land a few feet apart. Neither of them are out of breath.

"Katon: Goukyakuu no Jutsu," Itachi says as he completes the hand seals. The large fireball hurls towards Sakura. Sakura jumps backwards, putting fair distance between her and the fireball. She lifts her arms and forms a series of hand seals. Water appears out of nowhere next to her, looking as if it were pulled out from the ground, and when Sakura moves her arms in front of her, the water follows. Moving her arms upwards, the water forms a barrier in front of her. The fireball hits the water and the water evaporates.

Sakura looks past the steam. Itachi isn't there anymore. She closes her eyes, expanding her other senses. A slight change in the wind to her left tells her that Itachi is there. Without opening her eyes, she dodges Itachi's kick to her torso. She does a few flips and lands a few feet away. She stands across from Itachi, dull green meet blood red.

"Not going to use your sharingan?" Sakura asks. Her voice is emotionless.

"I'm sure Madara taught you tricks," says Itachi.

Sakura doesn't answer and lunges forward at him again, but she freezes mid-step. She looks down at her feet. It's Shikamaru. Sakura's eyes flick to the side and glares at Shikamaru. He is smirking. Itachi had distracted her long enough for Shikamaru to come up with a strategy. Ino, Neji and Hinata step closer to her. They each pull out a small scroll, spreading them out on the ground around Sakura in a triangular shape. Biting into their fingers, they activate the sealing technique Tsunade trusted to them in case the chakra suppressing handcuffs seem too weak.

Sakura groans slightly as she feels her chakra seal away; however, it's not just her chakra. All her energy and her willpower are pulled towards her two wrists and ankles. Nobody moves to catch Sakura as she tumbles to the ground, afraid to disrupt the seal. After all of it is drained out of her and into the scrolls, the three of them roll up the scrolls and places them back into their packs. A small triangle appears on both of Sakura's wrists and ankles, signifying the completion. Itachi watches the small powerless figure on the ground in front of him. He watches as Naruto and the Inuzuka lift the girl up and hoist her on top of the dog's back.

"What're you going to do now, Uchiha-san?" asks Ino.

"You should come back with us," says Naruto.

"Yes," agrees Itachi. After all, despite him being in perfect condition right now, his illness will act up again in time. Sakura hasn't finished curing him yet, and until then, he won't be able to defeat Madara. The Leaf nin agree to set out immediately. Itachi follows after them. He watches the white dog and the brunette girl secured on its back. There are three boys surrounding the dog, no doubt keeping an eye on the girl. One of the boys is the owner of the dog, the Inuzuka. The second boy, the one to the left of the dog, bears an uncanny resemblance to Sasuke. The third boy, to the right, with a stoicism rival to that of an Uchiha, Itachi deduces, likely hails from the Aburame clan. He and the Inuzuka were probably the ones who led the group to the cottage.

He forces himself not to look back at the cottage. It held lots of memories for him – mostly insignificant ones pertaining to the subdued kunoichi; however, despite insignificant, the memories are ones that Itachi actually treasures. Who knows if he'll even see the girl again? Trepidation runs through his veins as he thinks about the possibility that he'll never see her again. Hell, even if somehow they do meet again, there is no guarantee that she'd speak to him ever again.

X

It is a beautiful day in Konoha. Tsunade is seated behind her large desk. Surprisingly, there aren't many papers. It is one of _those_ days. _Those_ days used to consist of Sakura and Shizune, two of her most favorite people. Shizune would try to wake her up, after all, Tsunade had stayed up all night completing paperwork the night before. It would take a considerable amount of effort for Shizune, who would eventually call Sakura to assist her. Sakura, basically a mini-Tsunade, would find a myriad of terrible ways to threaten Tsunade into consciousness.

It is these kinds of days that make her miss her little apprentice the most.

Lost in memory lane, Tsunade barely registers someone entering the room.

"Tsunade-sama," says a voice. Tsunade looks up. It is Kakashi. He has been gone for a few days. She sent him on small mission to Lightning Country to try to help him get his mojo back. Obviously, it didn't work. Kakashi looks more tired than the norm.

"What is it, Kakashi? How did the mission go?" she asks. "I assume there weren't many obstacles."

"I saw Sakura," Kakashi says. Her eyes widen a bit.

"Really?" asks Tsunade. There's something wrong. "What is it?"

"She's not the same," he explains, "Not stable."

"What do you mean? Why?"

"She…sporadically gets angry, it seems. Almost like she has two different personalities. And she's been training under Madara-"

"I learned that a few days ago. Uchiha Itachi is alive and Sakura has been healing him. They've both been under Madara's jurisdiction, it seems."

"Uchiha Itachi? What? How-"

"He showed up here about a week and a half ago. He also said Madara has been training Sakura."

"She's not mentally well, Tsunade-sama."

"I didn't expect her to. Training under a maniac like Madara…I just hope that she's repairable."

"Did you send Naruto?"

"Yes. I sent all of Naruto, Sai, Ino, Tenten, Neji, Shikamaru, Kiba, Chouji, Shino, Hinata, and Lee."

"Some of them are unnecessary in this mission."

"I know, but…it's better safe than sorry."

"You're hoping that her emotional attachments will aid us again."

"She left you live last time, did she not? By the fact that you're alive right now also tells me that she let you live this time too…I'm assuming without much of a struggle."

"Madara showed up when I saw Sakura." Tsunade's eyes widen again.

"He _let_ you go?"

"Yes, I think. Sakura told him to leave, and though he didn't listen at first, he eventually did leave us."

Tsunade sighs. Massaging her temples, she closes her eyes. "Well, enough about this, how did your mission go?"

"You really expected me to have trouble with a C-rank mission?"

"No, not really." She pauses. "I want a report tomorrow morning. If there is nothing else, you are dismissed." Kakashi nods and bows slightly. He turns around and steps towards the door. Before he can even reach for the doorknob, the door bursts open. Outside the door stands Naruto and the others. Tsunade and Kakashi spot Itachi. Tsunade stands up.

"Come in," she says unnecessarily. As the teenagers fill the room, Tsunade's eyes land on the figure on Akamaru's back. She briefly glances at Kakashi, noting that his attention is drawn to the girl as well. "You guys succeeded…" she says to no one in particular.

"Yeah," says Naruto. Tsunade tears her eyes away from Sakura and looks at Naruto. He isn't as happy as she expected him to be.

"What happened?" asks Tsunade.

"We tried to talk to her," says Naruto, "She didn't hear any of it."

Tsunade looks between the teenagers. Most of them have forlorn looks on their faces. Ino, Naruto and Lee look the worst. They are, after all, the ones who treasured Sakura the most amongst the group.

"The handcuffs didn't work?" asks Tsunade.

"She made a clone of herself. It was undetectable," explains Neji.

"It didn't even look different from the real person, even with the byakugan," says Hinata.

"That's strange," says Tsunade. "But the sealing jutsu went well, I see."

"Yes," says Neji.

"Great," whispers Tsunade, "Were none of you hurt?"

"Uchiha-san fought her," Kiba points out.

"I see," Tsunade says, "Thank you, Uchiha Itachi." She doesn't expect him to respond, so she continues. "Kiba, I'm going to need you to take her to the cellars."

"You're going to lock her up?" asks Ino. Naruto looks up at Tsunade, obviously displeased.

"I have no choice," says Tsunade, "Sakura is a wanted criminal, and she put up a fight to prevent being captured, am I correct?" Both Ino and Naruto look away. "That's it for now, you are all dismissed. Neji and Shikamaru, I expect a report later." The two leaders nod and leave the room. The rest of them eventually follow. Kakashi leaves as well.

And then there were two.

"What are you going to do, Uchiha Itachi? Sakura was yours to watch, was she not?" asks Tsunade. "Madara won't be pleased."

"Your kunoichi knows more than she leads on," says Itachi, changing the topic.

"I was planning on interrogating her anyways."

Itachi nods. When Tsunade realizes that Itachi isn't planning on saying anything else until she asks, she crosses her legs and leans back in her chair.

"Well what are you planning on doing now?"

"I will wait here until Sasuke comes to attack again."

"Any other reason?" Tsunade raises an eyebrow.

"I have to stay near Sakura. Chances are I'm the only one able to stop her." His words feel strange on his tongue. Why? His brows furrow slightly at the change.

Tsunade sighs. "I understand. You are free to stay wherever you'd like; however, for now, please remain hidden. I will have to explain the past to the public in order to exonerate you, is that okay?"

Itachi hesitantly nods. "Please leave out the details."

"I was planning on doing so anyways."

"I have a request."

"What is it?"

"Tell me about her past."

"Sakura's?" Itachi nods. "Well, long story short…a year or so ago, I sent her on a mission to dig through Danzo's home. She just so happens to find out that Danzo had a son and a daughter-in-law, both of whom were killed on the day of Sakura's birth."

"My clan planned it?"

Tsunade nods. "Yes. It was believed that Danzo's grandchild was dead, but Sakura knew better. She looked exactly like Danzo's daughter-in-law, after all."

"So she is after Sasuke?"

"Yeah, because he killed Danzo. I don't think she holds a grudge against you because you didn't harm her family personally. Your clan did…and _you_ were the one who killed them, so…"

"I understand."

"Is there anything else?"

"There's something you should know about her."

"What?" Tsunade raises an eyebrow. The older Uchiha brother seems to care a lot for her student.

"She tried to kill herself a few months ago."

Tsunade almost couldn't register his words. Sakura, her cheerful student, her surrogate daughter…trying to kill herself? It doesn't make any sense.

Kakashi's words suddenly make sense. "_She's not the same. Not stable."_

"You…saved her?"

"Aa."

Tsunade buries her head in her hands. "I can't thank you enough."

Itachi simply bows. Tsunade pulls her face from her hands after a few minutes. "Is there anything else?"

Itachi pauses. How is he going to phrase this without it being interpreted differently? _'I would like to be in attendance when she awakes?_' , he shakes his head slightly. "That is all."

"Okay. You may go." Itachi bows slightly before turning and leaving. As soon as Itachi is out of the room, Tsunade gets up and heads out of her office herself. Following the familiar steps towards the cellars, she finally reaches the high-security area after a few minutes of extra walking. Morino Ibiki and Mitarashi Anko are already present.

"How is she?" asks Tsunade.

"Still unconscious," says Anko, "We've released one seal already."

"Is she not pretending?" asks Tsunade. She looks at Sakura through the chakra-absorbing glass. Past the glass is a small square room. Sakura is laying in the middle of the room.

"No, she really is unconscious," says Ibiki.

"Do we know why?" asks Tsunade, "Normal subjects to this sealing jutsu wake up seconds after one seal is released." She squints her eyes as if it would help discern the reason.

"No," says Anko. "We won't know anything until she wakes up."

"Alright. Notify me immediately when she does," says Tsunade.

"Understood," says Ibiki. Soon, Tsunade finds herself in her office yet again, with a bottle of sake in her hands. Shizune doesn't stop Tsunade from drinking. In fact, Shizune feels the dire need for some alcohol herself. Soon, it is dark outside and most of Konoha is ready to retire for the day. Tsunade gets up from her chair, ready for dinner. Suddenly, a chakra flares in the room.

It is Anko.

Tsunade looks at her expectantly.

"She is awake."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 6

A pair of eyes snap open, revealing a dull, jaded green. The green that used to be a more vibrant, lively one. The owner of the eyes sits up straight, her long brown hair cascading around her shoulders. She is no longer in her own familiar clothes, instead she is in a white hospital gown. She swings her legs off the side of the bed and gets off of the bed. She clutches her head with one of her hands. She is dizzy. A mark on her wrist catches her attention.

Suddenly, she remembers it all.

She is probably in Konoha now.

"Sakura!" says a womanly voice. A door opens and several footsteps are heard. "Are you okay?" A pair of soft hands land on her shoulders. Sakura looks at the face in front of her.

"Shishou," says Sakura. "Where am I?"

"You're in Konoha," says Tsunade. Her face is covered with worry. "Do you remember what happened?"

"Not really," Sakura lies. She looks past Tsunade and sees Anko and Ibiki. "Am I…Am I in trouble? Did I do something wrong?" Tsunade, alerted, turns her head and looks behind her at the two investigators.

"You really don't remember?" asks Anko, surprised. Ibiki's eyes narrow in suspicion.

"Remember what?" asks Sakura.

"Tsunade-sama, we're going to have to run some tests," says Ibiki. Tsunade nods and pats Sakura on the head slowly. Sakura looks confused.

"Shishou…" Sakura whispers.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine, Sakura," says Tsunade, "It'll all be okay." She pulls Sakura into a hug. It looks like a sweet scene between a victim and her loved one.

No one sees Sakura's sinister expression as Tsunade hugs her.

X

Itachi stands on a familiar bridge, looking out at the sunset, leaning forward with his forearms resting on the railing of the bridge, supporting him. It has been a week since he and Sakura were brought back to Konoha. It has been about five days since Tsunade declared that Itachi is exonerated from all of his past crimes. For the past five days, he has had nothing to do, after all, most of his friends were his clansmen, and they are gone. His only other almost-maybe-friend is behind bars for trying to kill his brother and working with his evil relative.

It has almost been a decade since he last stood in Konoha without using any jutsu. A decade since he last had a conversation with his parents and his best friend, Shisui. A decade since he had last seen them. A decade since he killed them with his own hands. A decade since Danzo ordered him to eliminate them.

It confuses him, upsets him even. He just wishes he had someone to speak to. The past few days, he spent them at the various libraries in Konoha. He had to admit that Konoha's collection of books has since grown since he was last there though.

A chakra signature pulls him out of his thoughts. It is familiar. One from a long time ago.

"Inuzuka," greets Itachi.

"Is that how you great old friends?" asks Hana. She leans her back against the railing of the bridge. Her head is turned slightly so that she is looking at the Uchiha. Itachi doesn't respond. "You know, I never believed that you were a bad guy."

"You're as crazy as ever."

"You're as monotone as ever." Hana knows better than to expect him to answer. "I still miss him you know." A reminiscent look takes over Hana's warm canine-like features.

Itachi doesn't have to ask to know who she's talking about. He knows perfectly well, after all. In fact, Hana is pretty high up in the ranks in the list of people Itachi wishes he could repay. Sasuke, of course, is first place.

"I don't blame you, Itachi, I never did," she says. "It's all that Shimura Danzo's fault, right?"

At the mention of _the girl_'s grandfather, Itachi adopts an even more depressing aura.

"Huh, did I say something wrong?" asks Hana. Having been in the same academy class as Itachi, she could read him better than many people. The fact that, a decade ago, Itachi's own cousin/best friend pretty much taught her how to read him also plays a huge factor.

Itachi shakes his head. His mind is brought back to the pink haired kunoichi.

"So who is she?" asks Hana, suddenly. Itachi doesn't answer her, instead he quirks an eyebrow. "Aw, come on, you know I can tell that it's a girl that's causing all of this, right? What other reason is there that you would feel clueless what to do? I mean, you fight better than most of the people in this village. Hokage-sama hailed you as a hero. You don't have to worry about much. Unless it's a girl."

"Your deductive reasoning skills have gotten better."

"You're just as easy to read as you were nine years ago."

"For you, at least."

"I was wondering how to approach you for the past few days," explains Hana, "After what happened…I always suspected that something _very wrong_ happened to cause you to do what you did. I'm sorry I didn't come up to you sooner and I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when Shisui…"

"No, I am sorry." The words feel foreign on his tongue. "If it hadn't been for me, you and Shisui-"

"Don't go there," interrupts Hana, "It's been a long time."

"I understand." Hana lets out a sigh and then places a smile on her face.

"I'm sure he's smiling right now too." She is looking up at the sky above her. Itachi does the same.

"He definitely is." Suddenly, Itachi feels something hit his arm. It is her fist.

"Don't think for a second that I forgot about the girl. Now tell me who she is." She is smirking. The devious look looks all too familiar on her face. He contemplates not answering her, but he can't bring himself to do so. This is the girl that his best friend could have had a future with. He can't bring himself to ignore her or lie to her.

"The Hokage's apprentice. But it's not what you think it is."

"Haruno Sakura?" Hana is evidently surprised. "She's our brothers' age, you're sick!" She laughs at her own bad joke. Itachi doesn't react. "Okay, okay, no need to get so gloomy." A pause. "So tell me about it. What is it if not what I think it is?"

"She cured me," Itachi says, "Almost, at least."

"Probably changed you too," says Hana.

A raised eyebrow communicates his question for him.

"I'm sure that all those years in the Akatsuki did wonders on your psyche. The fact that you're normal…I'm assuming it is because of her."

"…Maybe."

"I could be wrong. You are the master of lies after all. Years of deceit…I can barely imagine what it was like for you."

"The line between truth and false has always been blatantly clear to me."

"So you never were messed up in the head?"

"I don't believe so."

"Wow." A pause. "Agh, stop distracting me."

Another raised eyebrow.

"So what's stopping you? You know, from going to her? You obviously want to be next to her."

"Morino Ibiki, Mitarashi Anko and Hokage-sama."

"Whoa, why are Konoha's investigators-slash-torturers involved in this?"

"Confidential information."

"I'm assuming it has something to do with the mission my brother just came back from. He was really upset. Akamaru was too."

"Your brother was close to her?"

"They were on the same team several times." Something strikes her as odd. "Do you…Do you not call her by her name?"

"She doesn't call me by my name either." He had figured this out after the time he talked to Tsunade in her office. He and the kunoichi never called each other by their names, so when he said '_I have to stay near Sakura. Chances are I'm the only one able to stop her_,' it felt weird. The fact that she might never talk to him again only made him regret never calling her by her name. The fact that they never regarded conventionally made him feel further away from her than ever.

"Awww," squeals Hana, "How cute!"

"You are doing this to annoy me."

"Yes, I am. I'm going to make up for the past nine years for Shisui."

Itachi almost smiles. Before they can continue their conversation, a Chunin shows up next to Itachi.

"Hokage-sama requests your presence."

"I understand." Itachi looks to Hana.

"I know, I know. You should go. I'll see you later." She flashes a blinding smile at him.

Itachi nods. "See you." Hana waves as she watches Itachi race towards the Hokage tower. Chances are he's going to see the girl again. Hana can't help but feel happy for Itachi.

X

Itachi stands across from Tsunade's desk, a position he seems to find himself in often nowadays. Tsunade is awaiting his answer. She wants him to go visit Sakura's cell and verify whether or not the girl is feigning amnesia, after all, the 22-year old is a living legend in the art of deceit.

"I'll do it," says Itachi.

Tsunade lets out a grateful sigh. "Great. So you will not mind if I put you in charge of Sakura?" Itachi shakes his head slightly. Tsunade scribbles furiously on a piece of paper. She then looks up and smiles at him. It seems like he gets many smiles from people lately. Just one month ago, the only person who smiled at him was the very girl that he helped lock up. "Enjoy your first mission, Uchiha," congratulates Tsunade.

"Thank you," says Itachi, bowing in respect. Standing up straight, he turns around and leaves the room, heading for the cellars. Sakura should be in her own at the end of the long hall.

"What're you doing here?" asks Sakura. "You shouldn't-" Her voice rings out of her cellar.

"I am now in charge of you," says Itachi. He narrows his eyes at her. She looks as harmless as ever, even without her bubblegum pink hair.

"How did you-" asks Sakura, her eyes narrow as if remembering something, "Sasuke-kun…where's Sasuke-kun? You're dead. You're not supposed to be here."

At her words, something hits Itachi. He doesn't like the fact that she doesn't remember him. Strangely, deep inside, he harbors hope that she is pretending.

"You saved me," says Itachi.

"No, that's not possible," says Sakura. She is in denial, it seems. "I would never do that to Sasuke-kun."

"What is the last thing you remember?"

"I d-don't have to tell you anything."

"I'm under direct orders from the Hokage to question you."

"No, that's n-not possible!"

"What is the last thing you remember?" he repeats.

"I'm not responding to you! Let me out! Help! Help!" At her calls, some guards rush over. They look at Itachi and look at Sakura, surprised.

"What is wrong?" asks one of the guards.

"Nothing," says Itachi. He then turns and walks away. There seems nothing wrong with Sakura. But, then again, she has trained under _Madara_. It wouldn't surprise him if he trained her in the art of deceit. He walks back to Tsunade's office.

"What's wrong? Did something happen with Sakura?" asks Tsunade worriedly.

"She is either telling the truth or is insanely prepared to fake amnesia." Tsunade quirks an eyebrow, ushering him to continue. "She doesn't remember me."

"That's…a new development."

"She refuses to answer my questions."

"She'll give in eventually. Sakura is friendly. If you keep on seeing her at least once a day or just stand across from her, outside her cell, she'll eventually cave. She needs someone to talk to."

"You're not going to go see her?"

"Not until she gives answers."

"Aa."

"If that is all, you may go."

"When are you going to let her out?"

"I don't know when I can…" Tsunade sighs. "Don't get me wrong, I hope to get her out as soon as possible. But Suna is our most valuable ally and she has done them wrong."

"Hm."

"Please continue to keep seeing her."

"Aa." He then bows a little and leaves the room.

X

"What are you doing here?" asks a feminine voice. It is dark.

"You got yourself captured," says a male voice.

"I was against _Itachi_, what do you expect?" She can't tell him that she still can't lay a finger on any of her friends. He would see her as weak again. It took her long enough to change his view of her.

"I trained you better than that, _Mana._"

"Itachi is stronger than me. He always will be, Madara."

"It's such a shame."

"I know."

"When should I break you out?"

"Not yet." Without a word, Madara disappears. Sakura sinks back into her cot. The past month, isolated and confined, let Sakura think to her mind's content. She contemplated letting her revenge go, but it just isn't possible. She always saw herself as an Uchiha woman when she grew up. She never knew that they had actually killed her biological parents. Had she known, she would have never chased after imagined herself as one of the clan. Now, instead, she is figuring out why she didn't ask Madara to break her out just now.

It's not like she has anything to stay for, right?

Thinking over this month, the only person she saw is Itachi. Every day, she finds herself questioning where her friends are. Did she not matter as much as she thought she did? If that's the case, why doesn't she just leave right now? She closes her eyes in contemplation.

Itachi's face appears in her mind.

Sakura looks up in realization. She isn't stupid. She knows what this means. She knows what this feeling is. Love. She has fallen in love with Uchiha Itachi. Tears prickle her eyes. It's like falling for the wrong person all over again. She isn't sure what hurts her more, the fact that he is completely wrong for her or the fact that if there is a chance between them, she would have to choose between him and her revenge. He would never accept her as long as she is after his brother's blood. And given the chance, he would choose Sasuke over her, after all.

A light turns on in her cellar.

Itachi is here.

Sakura quickly wipes her eyes and lays down on her cot. She has to pretend to be asleep. She has to pretend that she doesn't know Itachi. She will ask Madara to break her out the next time he shows up. She needs to be further from Itachi or else it will get even more serious. Itachi has always been nice to her, and that doesn't help her in getting over him. It will just hurt her more when he defends his brother. She needs to get out as soon as possible.

Coming up with a plan, thinking over the outcomes and repercussions, she decides that this will be it. This is her final charade. As Itachi steps into view. She glares at him.

"You betrayed me," says Sakura.

"You remember," says Itachi. It isn't a question. The Uchiha doesn't ever ask her questions unless absolutely necessary, after all. He also never says her name. Maybe it's to detach himself from her. A pang hits her heart.

"You think I would forget forever?" Her voice is low.

Itachi doesn't answer her. After all, he knows the question is rhetorical. "How long?"

"Since I woke up today."

A silence takes over between them. It is uncomfortable. It is different.

"You should go. I don't want to see you." A lie. She wants to hug him. She wants to try and take away the pain inflicted by his clan. She wants to stay with him – be by his side forever. She closes her eyes, blocks out the pain.

"Like I said, I am in charge of you."

"I'm _fine_. You can go. All you ever do is check whether or not I've gone crazy yet anyways."

Itachi doesn't respond. Sakura sighs. "_Please_ leave. While you're reporting back to the Hokage, you should mention the fact that it won't be long before I kill myself if she keeps sending you to watch me."

Like dozens of times before, he doesn't respond. Instead, he turns and leaves, turning off the lights. It is dark again. Who knew that Tsunade would ever lock her own apprentice in a dark chamber like this? How cruel. A thought finds itself back into her mind. Maybe she doesn't mean as much to the ones she deems her world as she thought she did. Her face scrunches up in pain. It will always hurt to find out that people don't care for you as you do for them.

"I need to get out," whispers Sakura. "I need to." And with that, Sakura pulls up her sleeve and presses a finger to her wrists. A small glowing mark appears in the shape of a swan.

"So soon since our last meeting," says the intruder.

"I'm ready to leave now, please."

X

"She's gone," says Anko.

"What do you mean she's _gone_?!" demands Tsunade.

"She just disappeared," says Ibiki. "No signs of her actually breaking out."

"Madara did it," says Itachi.

"If that's the case, how did he even get into Konoha?" asks Anko.

"He probably has his ways," says Tsunade. She pauses. "I can't believe this." In her anger and grief, she pushes all of the things on her desk off the side. "Not _again!_" She buries her face in her hands.

"I'm going after her," says Itachi.

"I'm assuming there's no way to stop you," says Tsunade. Itachi shakes his head. "I'm sending you with a team." Itachi shakes his head.

"I don't need babysitters."

"They're not going to babysit you. They're going just in case Madara fights along with her."

"I understand."

"Are there any people you recommend?"

"How many am I allowed?"

"As many as you think are necessary."

Itachi pauses. He is thinking. After figuring out who he wants, he speaks. "Inuzuka Hana, Aburame Shino, and Nara Shikamaru." Hana would be useful in tracking Sakura. The Aburame too. The Nara's intelligence is indisputable. They will be useful. They also wouldn't attack Sasuke without warning or orders.

"I'll send Shizune with you as well, just in case," says Tsunade.

"That's fine," says Itachi.

"You will set out one hour from now. You may go to get ready. Anko, I'm going to need you to find the others and tell them. The sooner they set out, the fresher Sakura's trail will be," says Tsunade.

"I understand," says Anko. Itachi and Anko leave the room. Tsunade looks at Ibiki.

"What is it?" asks Ibiki.

"The fact that Madara can come in and out of Konoha undetected disturbs me."

"I know."

"Knowing Madara, we probably won't find out anything even if we investigate."

"I know."

"You can go."

Ibiki bows slightly and leaves the room. Tsunade looks down at her desk as if it is the most interesting thing in the world. She glares at it. How is it possible that Sakura has changed so much? A year ago, she would have never done anything like this. She is no longer as easily manipulated as she used to be. Though, that could be attributed to her mental state. She groans. She definitely needs more sake. She'll be sure to stock up after Shizune leaves.

X

"I'm surprised you chose me for this role," says Hana.

"I need more than one tracker," says Itachi.

"Yeah, yeah," says Hana, waving her hand around, as if it will wave off his lie. "So who else is coming?"

"Aburame Shino, Nara Shikamaru and Shizune."

"Wow, killer team. A little quiet though. I think you make up for all the quietness we need. Now there's Shino too? Geez." Itachi smirks. Hana will definitely be bothered during this mission. He chose her because of her ability with tracking and because she would have attempted to beat him up for a while if she found out that he picked her brother over her. He isn't worried that anything will happen to her during this mission because he definitely wouldn't allow it. He'll protect her with his life if he has to. Same with the others. He'll be damned if anyone on his team dies under his watch.

After a few minutes of waiting, the others appear. "Let's go." With that, they all set out.

X

"She'll be traveling with you until I say so," says Madara. Across from him stand Sasuke, Karin, Juugo and Suigetsu. Sakura, disguised, is next to him. He looks each of them in the eyes and then promptly disappears.

"Good to see you're still alive, Mana," says Suigetsu.

"We haven't heard about you in a while," says Juugo.

"I've been trying to stay under the radar," says Sakura.

"What for?" asks Karin. "You smell like Konoha."

"Because I was captured for a bit," says Sakura.

"What? How?" asks Suigetsu, interested.

"My patient betrayed me to them," says Sakura.

"Who was your patient?" asks Sasuke.

"None of your business," responds Sakura.

"You'll do well to listen to Sasuke-kun, _Mana_," says Karin, almost spitting out Mana's name like it repulsed her. Sakura glares at her.

"And you'll do well not to get on my bad side," says Sakura.

"Calm down, girls," says Suigetsu.

"Shut up, Suigetsu," says Karin.

"Hey, that's not necessary," says Suigetsu, "I'm trying to promote teamwork between us."

"Why? Because you don't want me hurting your precious Mana?" retorts Karin.

Sakura scoffs. "Like you could hurt me if you tried."

"Why you-" says Karin. She lunges at Sakura, but Sasuke catches the back of her collar and brings her back. He gives her _the_ look. The look that tells her to stop doing unnecessary things.

"Stop provoking her," says Sasuke to Mana.

"Fine," says Sakura.

"Let's go then," says Sasuke.

"Where are we going?" asks Sakura. She figures that Sasuke isn't going to answer her, so she turns to Suigetsu and Juugo. Karin is already following behind Sasuke.

"No clue," says Suigetsu. "Sasuke hasn't been telling us anything lately."

"I see," says Sakura. The two men start following behind Sasuke. Sakura follows behind them, thinking back to what Madara told her on their way here.

_"You are to reveal to Sasuke that Itachi is alive. I need to test his and his team's allegiances."_

_ "You know he's going to follow after Itachi."_

_ "If I am correct, Itachi will be sent on a mission to find you. When he does, you will _kill_ Sasuke. We can't have Konoha coming after you again."_

It plays well into her own goals. She wonders what exactly Madara is planning on doing with her killing Sasuke. After all, killing Sasuke won't get Konoha off her trail. It probably would send shinobi hunting for her severed head instead. She narrows her eyes in thought. Well, it doesn't really matter what happens to her after she kills Sasuke, right? If and when she kills Sasuke, she'll lose everyone. Naruto won't forgive her. Itachi will probably try to kill her. Ino will be wrecked with grief. No one will accept her.

Madara sure chose the best person to change into a killing machine. He could use her as he wishes because he is stronger than her. He could kill her if necessary. He was confident that, with his training, she wouldn't be sane anymore. She wouldn't be able to think straight anymore. Her emotions will all be jumbled. And, above all, he can manipulate her easily. She is driven by her hatred and grief. Over what, he isn't sure, but she is scared of him and that is why he accepted as his student at the time. Sakura knows all of this, but she is unable to stop herself anymore.

"I've been wondering something," says Sakura to Suigetsu.

"What is it?" asks Suigetsu. "I'll answer to the best of my ability." He winks at her.

"Who's Uchiha Itachi?" she asks. Suigetsu quickly flashes a look at Sasuke's back. He didn't hear. Neither did Karin. Suigetsu places an index finger to his lips.

"Don't mention him. His name is voodoo around Sasuke," Suigetsu whispers.

"Why? Who is he?"

"I don't know where you've been living all these years, but he's Sasuke's dead brother, why?"

"Dead?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Because he's not. Konoha had him surveillance me when I was in captivity."

"What? That's not possible."

Sakura shrugs. "I don't know. He seemed very much alive and very much Uchiha." She motions to the eyes. "He even got Sasuke's stick-up-the-ass attitude copied well. Though less so, but I didn't expect them to be completely similar."

"We should tell him," says Suigetsu.

"I don't think he'd listen to me."

"You never know. He isn't stable when it comes to his brother."

_That makes two of us_. She nods in understanding. "You want to break the news or me?"

"You should, considering you're the one who saw him."

"I'll tell him later."

"Later is good." Sakura smiles at him. Suigetsu smiles back. He would never admit how much Mana's presence around this group changes things for him. She makes everything seem less gloomy. He enjoys her company, especially now that she is acting like a normal person. She talks more than the rest of them and she is attractive (seemingly) to boot.

"Should I be scared?" asks Sakura.

"Maybe."

"Hm. I'll ask Juugo."

"Okay." Sakura smiles at him and walks closer to Juugo. Suigetsu watches the brunette's back. He finds that he wants to get to know her better. Why is she working under Madara? How is it possible that she doesn't know who Itachi is? What village is she from? What happened to her parents? Even trivial questions like 'How old is she?' find their way to his mind.

"Uchiha," says Sakura, "I have something to tell you."

"What?" asks Sasuke.

"It's about your brother," says Sakura.

Sasuke glares at her. "Say any more and I'll kill you." Sakura glares back.

"You can't tell me what to do." Sasuke unsheathes his katana. Sakura scoffs and does the same. "You sure you don't want to know what it is?"

"Not unless he is miraculously alive." His sarcasm is noted.

"Well, then I guess you would like to know that he is actually alive." Sasuke almost drops his katana.

"There's no way. I saw him die." He moves swiftly. Suddenly his katana is at Sakura's neck. Sakura, however, dissolves into white feathers and reassembles feet away from Sasuke.

"I'm not," says Sakura, "He was in charge of me in my time in custody at Konoha."

"Karin, try to locate his chakra again," says Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun, why are you believing her?" asks Karin.

_"Gain their trust."_ Madara's words run through Sakura's mind. "Honestly, Karin, what do I have to gain from telling a lie like this?" asks Sakura. "If we're going to be a team right now, we have to trust each other."

Sasuke glares at Karin. Karin obeys Sasuke's command. She closes her eyes and concentrates. Sakura looks at Sasuke, who is glaring at her. After several seconds, Karin gasps.

"He's alive. I found his chakra," says Karin.

"Told you so," says Sakura.

"You know, Mana, I liked you better when you didn't talk," says Karin.

"Awww, you like me?" asks Sakura.

"Not at all. I just disliked you less then," says Karin.

"It's okay, Mana, you have me," says Suigetsu.

Sakura smiles and looks at Sasuke. He is looking down at the ground, glaring, as if trying to figure out how this happened. "Where is he, Karin?" asks Sasuke.

"He is a few days away," says Karin.

"We will go after him," says Sasuke.

"There's no point," says Sakura. Sasuke turns and glares at her. He doesn't have to word his question. "He is coming to us."

"How do you possibly know that?" asks Sasuke. He grips his katana tighter.

"Because he's after me," says Sakura. "I broke out of Konoha after all."

Sasuke glares at some random tree behind Sakura. Itachi is alive? If he is, why did he not come find Sasuke sooner? Doesn't he regret leading Sasuke down this road? He _knows_ that Sasuke has questions. He knows that Sasuke is trying to avenge him. If he knows all of this, why hasn't he come to speak to him? He looks at Mana. Does her captivity and his loyalty to Konoha mean more to him than his own little brother? His little brother whose life is ruined partially because of him?

"Karin, where's the closest village?" asks Sasuke.

"Please, Sasuke-kun, we don't have to do this," says Karin.

Sakura, confused, turns to Suigetsu with one eyebrow raised. Suigetsu shakes his head. Sakura will find out soon if Karin gives into Sasuke's request.

"Karin," says Sasuke. "Where is it." Not a question.

Karin freezes in fear. She then closes her eyes and relaxes. She then raises one of her arms and points a little to the side. "One hour that way."

"I'll go alone," says Sasuke. Sakura is as confused as ever. After Sasuke disappears in the foliage, Sakura turns to Suigetsu and Juugo.

"Where is he going?" she asks.

"To kill aimlessly," says Suigetsu. "The more powerful, the better."

"What? And you guys let him do that?" asks Sakura.

"It's not like we can stop him," scoffs Karin, "Besides, none of us are strong enough to actually provide him with a challenge. The more people he kills, the better he feels. It has been like this since he fought Itachi."

"I'm going after him," says Sakura.

"He'll kill you if you interrupt him," says Suigetsu.

"As if he could," says Sakura. "Don't worry. I'll be back."

"If you're going, I'm coming with you," says Suigetsu.

"No. Not necessary. I got this, don't worry." She smiles at him. "You're a good friend, Suigetsu."

Suigetsu sighs and nods. He normally isn't this caring. In fact, he normally isn't caring at all. After Sakura disappears into the darkness of the forest behind Sasuke, Karin opens her mouth.

"You like her," she taunts.

"Really now?" asks Suigetsu, "Well, that's to be expected. After all, she actually looks like a girl!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Karin screeches.

"Calm down," says Juugo. "Mana is different. Something is weird."

"Do you think we should go after her?" asks Karin.

"She's not a threat," says Juugo, "I don't know what it is." The other two turn to look in the direction she disappeared into. He's right. Something is different about the kunoichi.

Her back looks similar to Sasuke's.

Lonely.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

So I posted this chapter earlier on today, but it was brought to my attention that it didn't appear under the chapter scrollbarthing. :| Sorry for those that got two notifications. :(

* * *

Chapter 7

Sakura walks up behind Sasuke. The boy that was once the most important person in her life. The boy that she has since sworn to kill. Her love for him has dissipated a year or so ago. In the place where he used to hold, his brother now occupies. However, Sakura can't deny the sense of friendship that she still feels towards the boy. No matter how many times he has tried to kill her, she will always view him as a friend. She can't deny that if she does succeed in killing him, that it will take a toll on her.

"Why are you following me?"

"I can't let you kill innocent people."

"You work for Madara, it's not like any of it actually matters to you."

"It does matter to me. I try to avoid unnecessary deaths."

Sasuke doesn't respond. "When you were captive, who did you meet?"

Sakura isn't quite as taken aback at his question as he thought she would've been. "Besides Uchiha Itachi?"

"Yeah."

"Does it matter?"

"Yes."

"Who are you asking for?"

"A pink-haired kunoichi." Now, _that_ took Sakura by surprise. "Yeah, pink."

Sakura quickly gathered her composure. "No, I didn't."

"I see."

"Why? Who is she?"

Sasuke looks up at the sky, calm for once. He looks strangely at peace. "She was my humanity, once upon a time." He continues walking towards the village, ignoring Sakura's reactions. He doesn't care about oversharing at this moment. He has just found out that his brother is alive, after all.

Sakura follows behind Sasuke quietly. She looks at his back, analytically. It's not like him to care about Haruno Sakura. What does he mean, she was his _humanity_? He didn't care about her at all. If anything, _Naruto _was more of his humanity. The boy always meant more to Sasuke, didn't he? Naruto was his rival, his best friend and his brother. Sakura? Sakura was just an annoying girl who grew too attached too fast. Before she can entertain her thoughts further, she and Sasuke arrive at the village.

"What are you going to do?" asks Sakura.

"Don't follow me," says Sasuke. "I won't get myself killed."

"I'm not following you to prevent you from dying. I'm following you to protect others from you. You're a ticking time bomb right now."

"You don't know me."

"No, I don't. But you need someone right now. You just don't want to admit it."

"Stop trying to psychoanalyze me."

"I'm trying to help you."

"Well, stop it! I don't need it!" he snaps at her. Sakura takes a step back instinctively.

"You're suffering right now. You're wondering why Itachi hasn't come for you. You're wondering if you meant less to him than he meant to you."

"Stop it."

"No."

Sasuke throws his katana at her. The tip of the blade soaring towards her face. As it nearly hits her, she, again, dissolves into white feathers. Sasuke glares as his katana hits a tree.

"You don't have to kill innocent people, Uchiha," says Sakura. "Just fight me instead. I'm sure I'm enough of a challenge for you to take out your frustrations."

"Fine." He disappears quickly and appears in front of Sakura, slamming a forearm at her head. She dissipates into feathers again. He dislodges his katana from the tree. Sakura watches as the electric currents appear around his katana. She jumps a few feet away from him and watches wearily as he glares. She shoots a small, short glance behind her. They're too close to the village. Other people will get hurt. Sakura looks back at Sasuke. He still hasn't moved, as if trying to decide what to do. After all, all his attacks at Sakura so far haven't hit her at all. Or, more like _couldn't_ hit her at all.

Deciding that they have to be further from the village, Sakura lunges at Sasuke, a fist raised. Sasuke lifts his katana in front of him readily. Surely his chidori would work, right?

His chidori hits her arm. He sees Sakura wince a little. But that's it. No other reaction.

"Not good enough," says Sakura. She smirks at him. She is now behind him. Sasuke whirls around and looks at her. She is standing straight. Her arms are at her sides.

"You're not taking this seriously," says Sasuke.

"I'm not trying to get killed. I'm just being your punching bag right now." Sakura turns and begins walking further from the village.

_Punching bag my ass. I can't even hit you_. Sasuke glares at her. "You're annoying."

His words surprise her. She pauses in her steps. Sasuke narrows his eyes, sensing her surprise and discomfort. Why do these words surprise her? Sakura recovers her composure. She lets out a low chuckle.

"Wow, that's ironic," says Sakura. She turns around. "You going to attack again or no?"

Sasuke continues glaring at her. "Have we met before?"

"Not if you're counting the time when we worked together a month ago."

"Hm." He raises his katana again. Charging towards Sakura, he decides that chidori doesn't have any effect on this girl. It's strange. He'll have to find out why later on. There is always room for improvement. This girl may be helpful after all. Sakura, instead of turning into feathers again, pulls out her own katana. The metal clash and the two try to overpower each other for a brief moment. Then, they separate.

She's strong, that's to be expected. However, her actual jutsu and fighting style are quite unknown to him. She is always either knocking people unconscious or turning into those damned feathers. He doesn't know her well enough to use anything against her either.

Except...he knows that she dislikes when innocent people die.

"If you don't attack me, I'll go back to that village right now and destroy it," says Sasuke. His voice is emotionless as ever.

"You're resorting to using innocent lives against me?" asks Sakura. She lets out a laugh. "That's smart." She picks up her katana again. "Do you wish for me to draw blood?"

"You said you'll be a challenge." He sees the outline of her lips curl into a smirk. She lunges forward at him, the tip of her blade pointed towards him. Sasuke raises his own katana, a smirk finding its way to his own face.

Metal hits metal at high speeds that the sounds are barely even half a second apart. The two of them aren't even sure who is on the offensive and who is on the defensive. The two of them have their eyes locked on each other. "I'm surprised you're not using your sharingan, Uchiha."

"I'm not aiming to kill." Sakura scoffs.

The two are engaged into another sword flurry. Sasuke looks at the girl's eyes again. She reminds him so much of his ex-teammate. It's uncanny. But at the same time, she is different from Sakura. She uses different means from Sakura. Sakura, who would have begged for him to stop killing innocent people, would never have proven a match for him. He barely has a second to think before the kunoichi ducks and swings a leg under his feet, with her arms up to support her katana from giving way to his katana.

Sasuke feels his back touch the ground.

"You shouldn't get distracted," says Sakura, with her katana at his neck.

Sasuke glares at her. "You shouldn't underestimate me." A giant snake emerges from the ground under her and constricts around her. Sakura glares at him as she, yet again, turns into feathers.

"Likewise," says Sakura. Sasuke already got up. He lifts his katana again. However, instead of using it, he breathes in deeply and when he exhales, small fireballs are hurdling towards her. Sakura forms quick hand seals. A wall of water erupts in front of her. Before the wall collapses, Sasuke is jumping through the water with Kusanagi positioned in front of him. Sakura jumps back from her water wall and lets it collapse behind Sasuke.

Sakura lifts her katana again, but before she can move, Sasuke's Kusanagi is at her neck. He had made a clone.

"Game over," he says. "You're quite susceptible to simple jutsu."

"Yeah, yeah," says Sakura. "I'll consider it your win since it's at my neck." He knows that if he actually tries to strike her, she'll just turn into feathers again.

"Hm," says Sasuke. He wouldn't admit it, but this girl amuses him. He sheathes his katana and walks to a tree. He sits down against the tree. He doesn't have to tell her to join him. She knows without him saying. She sits a foot or so away from him. "Why doesn't chidori affect you?"

"I'm a medic-nin. My chakra control has always been good. Madara taught me how to cut off others' chakra when outside of the body, though, it did affect me," says Sakura. She lifts her arm and unwraps the bandages. Sasuke stares at the injury. Her arm looks almost mutilated. She fought him with her arm in this kind of state? He would have never knew if she wasn't showing him right now. Sakura lifts her other hand and begins healing herself. Sasuke looks up at the sky and listens to the small, barely audible buzzing of her chakra.

_I remember tears streaming down your face,_

Sasuke hears the kunoichi's voice emit. Her voice is sweet and soothing. Sasuke finds himself feeling calmer than he has in ages. He closes his eyes, listening to her singing. He doesn't question what she's doing. He'll savor this moment of peacefulness.

_When I said, "I'll never let you go."  
When all those shadows almost killed your light…  
I remember you said, "Don't leave me here alone,"  
But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight._

_Just close your eyes.  
The sun is going down.  
You'll be alright.  
No one can hurt you now.  
Come morning light.  
You and I'll be safe and sound._

Sasuke does as the lyrics say. He closes his eyes, enhancing his hearing. He hears her voice clearer than ever. She is no professional singer. Her voice isn't anything special either. It does; however, like a fresh, serene breeze, lull him to sleep. For the first time in ages, Sasuke lets his guard down and falls asleep with no complications. Something about her just lets him trust her, lets him put down his defensive front around her.

Sakura notices her ex-teammate fall asleep. She figures this would be the perfect time to assassinate him. But, she finds herself unable to do it. She doesn't lift her hand to her katana. She doesn't reach for a kunai. She doesn't do anything harmful. Instead, she continues singing.

_Don't you dare look out your window, darling,  
Everything's on fire.  
The war outside our door keeps raging on.  
Hold on to this lullaby…  
Even when the music's gone.  
Gone…_

_Just close your eyes._  
_The sun is going down._  
_You'll be alright._  
_No one can hurt you now._  
_Come morning light._  
_You and I'll be safe and sound._

Tears form at her eyes and she does nothing to stop them. She pulls her knees to her chest as she wraps her arms around them. She looks at Sasuke's sleeping figure as she sings. He looks so calm. So serene. So…_unlike_ himself. Unlike the murderer he has become.

_Oooh, Oooh, Oooh, Oooh  
Oooh, Oooh, Oooh, Oooh  
La La  
La La  
Oooh, Oooh, Oooh, Oooh  
Oooh, Oooh, Oooh, Oooh  
La La_

She flexes her fingers, trying to get them to listen to her. This is the perfect moment, right? Her tears start forming and falling nonstop. If she doesn't do it now, she won't ever be able to do it. Looking at Sasuke's peaceful face, she realizes that she can't do it. Not when he looks so at peace. Not when he trusts her. She can't betray him like he did to her years ago.

To make things worse, Sasuke tilts slightly and winds up with his head on her shoulder. He is sleeping so well for once that he doesn't even wake up from his head hitting her shoulder. She just _can't_ hurt him. Especially since he's wide open.

_Just close your eyes.  
You'll be alright.  
Come morning light.  
You and I'll be safe and sound..._

_Oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh oh oh._

She brings her forehead down to her knees. She gets a strange feeling that if she does succeed in killing him, she will definitely go crazy. She has had numerous patients over the years who have had to kill their own teammates. They would eventually succumb to mental illness and only view their happy moments with the one they killed over and over again. She gets the strange feeling that she'd become one of them. Sakura closes her eyes as she tries to block out the pain. Closing your eyes, however, does no such thing.

X

Sasuke wakes up to seeing Suigetsu, Karin and Juugo in front of him. They all look surprised. Sasuke sits up straight. But wait, when did he even lean over? He looks to the thing his head was resting on. Or rather, the person. Her brown hair is scattered about instead of it in its normal braid. Her head is lowered so that her forehead rests on her knees. Her arms are wrapped around her. Sasuke finds it hard to believe that the small girl in front of him is the same girl that he had trouble fighting. He finds it even harder to believe that he feels protective of her.

"W-What happened here?" asks Karin. She seems to be in shock.

"We sparred. I got tired," says Sasuke.

"But why are you _on_ her?!" screeches Karin. He can see the hurt in her eyes.

"I don't owe you an explanation, Karin." Sasuke turns away from her and the rest of the group. Juugo and Suigetsu surprisingly haven't said anything. He looks at the brunette. She tenses, telling him that she's awake. She slowly lifts her head and looks at the group in front of her. She slowly turns to look at Sasuke.

"How long was I out?" she asks. Her eyes wide and innocent, though still dull green. Strangely enough, her dull green eyes remind him of Sakura the most. Sakura's however, were much more vibrant and warmer.

Sasuke looks away from Sakura. "How long were we asleep?" asks Sasuke to the other three.

"Six hours," responds Suigetsu.

"Karin, how far away is Itachi now?" asks Sasuke.

Karin, pouting, closes her eyes and focuses. When she opens her eyes, she looks at Sasuke. "He's two days away. He and his team are moving fast. They'll probably be here in another 6 hours."

_Too soon. Too soon._ Sakura chants in her mind. When Itachi gets here, Sakura will have to try and kill Sasuke. It is either her life or his life. If she succeeds in killing him, he'll be dead. If Itachi succeeds in protecting him, she'll be dead. Sakura feels her heart drop to her stomach. It's painful.

Maybe she should just let Itachi kill her. At that thought, realization hits her.

_"If I am correct, Itachi will be sent on a mission to find you. When he does, you will _kill_ Sasuke. We can't have Konoha coming after you again."_

He wants Itachi to kill her. Sakura closes her eyes. She hears Sasuke get up and say something, but she doesn't hear what he says exactly.

"Mana," says Sasuke. "Come."

She doesn't respond. He steps closer to her. Reaching out a hand, he places it on her shoulder. Sakura, shocked, looks up at him. "What is it?"

"We're eating," he responds.

"I'll come in a bit," says Sakura.

Sasuke nods. He then walks back to the rest of his team. Suigetsu is looking back at her worriedly. She shakes her head. Suigetsu's worried expression doesn't leave his face, but he nods and follows Sasuke and Karin. Juugo does the same. Sakura looks down at her hands.

"What was all of this for?" she asks herself. Her hands are clean, but all she sees is blood. The blood of others. With some trouble, she gets up. She stumbles away from the village. After a few minutes of walking, she collapses and starts crying. What was the point of betraying Konoha, betraying her friends, betraying Itachi…if she was only going to die without completing her goal? What was Madara's point of training her at all?

He trained her so that she could be one of his weapons, right? Then why is he killing her off all of a sudden? Sure, Itachi betrayed him, but he knew that Itachi wasn't on his side in the first place!

It makes no sense to her.

She lets out a feral scream – as if her pain, confusion and heartbreak could all be poured out in her voice.

She sits there, tear tracks dried on her cheeks as she stares at the sky. This may be her last time seeing such a beautiful sight. Thoughts are jumbled and running through her mind a million a minute. She should at least try to kill Sasuke, right? If she doesn't, Itachi won't kill her. And instead, she'll likely be tortured by Madara again. She can't go through it again. Her mind and body wouldn't be able to take it.

The easy way out is to let Itachi kill her.

She won't hurt Sasuke.

She can't.

Fresh tears streaking down her face, she gets up. It's almost time. She can feel Itachi nearing. Shizune's there too. Shikamaru and Shino as well. They'll break the news to Naruto, Ino, and Tsunade.

"I'm sorry, Naruto, Ino, shishou," she whispers. She walks towards the village.

X

"We're getting close!" says Hana. Her dogs are getting twitchy. Shino nods.

"She's not alone, though," says Shino.

"Madara?" asks Shizune.

"No," says Shino. He pauses and looks at Itachi. "It's Sasuke."

Itachi almost stopped in his steps. "I see."

Shikamaru curses in his head. How troublesome. Why did he get assigned to this mission? Itachi is tactician enough to not need him. Naruto or Ino should've been here instead. Both Sasuke and Sakura mean way more to them than they do to him.

In a few seconds, they arrive at a small village. It is silent. Too silent.

"Where are all the villagers?" asks Shikamaru.

"Not here," says Hana.

"But they're not dead either," says Shino.

"Where's Sakura?" asks Itachi. Hana shoots him a look. She then points a little to the side.

"That way," she says.

"Let's go," says Itachi. They take a few steps. Then, an explosion alerts them. They quickly sprint to the area. Itachi lets his eyes land on Sakura, yet again. As always, it is as if a soft, comforting wave washed over him. She has that effect on people, he noticed.

"Sasuke-kun, look!" says a feminine voice. Itachi looks at her. Red hair. Red eyes. She's on his brother's team, if he isn't mistaken. The ingenious tracker. Itachi sees his brother turn around and look at him. For once, without any hate.

"Itachi," Sasuke says. His eyes are wide and his mouth is slightly agape. He believed Mana before, but seeing Itachi alive with his own eyes is different. Completely different. "How are you alive?"

"We'll talk later, Sasuke," says Itachi, "Hand Sakura over."

Team Taka is evidently surprised. Sakura? Sakura isn't here. What is Itachi talking about? Realization hits Sasuke first. He turns and stares at Mana.

"Sakura."

Sakura lowers her head and brings her hand to her mask, pulling it down.

"Sasuke-kun." He could swear her eyes are teary, but before he says anything else, Sakura lunges at him, her katana unsheathed. With her head next to his, she gets ready to impale Sasuke. Itachi makes his move, knocking her katana out of her hand. Sakura separates from Sasuke and aims a kick at Itachi. Itachi retaliates by grabbing her leg. Sakura twists her body so that he releases her. She lands a few feet away from him.

"Move, Sasuke," orders Itachi.

Sasuke does as told, surprised by both Itachi's appearance and Sakura's. Mana is Sakura? He had his suspicions. All of them did. But…how? Why? Sakura isn't supposed to be like this. Sakura is supposed to be back in Konoha either healing or taking care of the Hokage, right? Sasuke looks at his brother. He is different. Something about him is different. He watches as Itachi and Sakura continue attacking each other. Why isn't Itachi using the sharingan? He's holding back?

"You don't have to do this," says Itachi, trying to convince her. He had strict orders from Tsunade to try to bring Sakura back alive; however, she did say that he is allowed to use whatever means necessary. And, if Sakura is beyond help, he will have no choice but to protect his baby brother. No matter how the kunoichi's death will affect him, if unavoidable, he will have to do it.

"I do," says Sakura. "He killed my grandfather."

Confusion falls over Sasuke. Sakura's grandfather? What is she talking about? He narrows his eyes. Itachi, noticing Sasuke's confusion in the corner of his eyes, continues. "Danzo was a murderer."

"He was also my grandfather," responds Sakura. She barely glances at Sasuke. Sasuke notices. Sakura quickly pulls out a kunai and lunges at Sasuke again. Sasuke almost unsheathes Kusanagi.

_This is Sakura._ Sasuke hesitates. Sure, he had tried to kill her numerous times before, but that was before the time he spent time with _Mana_. Like before, her head is next to his. Her arms are around him, but with her kunai in hand, instead of her katana.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun," is all Sasuke hears as he barely recognizes the sound of her kunai hitting the ground. Catching Itachi at the corner of her eyes, Sakura pushes Sasuke away from herself. And before Itachi can stop himself, he drives Sakura's own katana through her chest.

A fatal blow.

Sakura looks Itachi in the eyes. She makes no sound as blood seeps through her clothes. As she falls towards the ground, Itachi catches her. He slowly lowers her to the ground.

She searches his eyes one last time before closing her eyes.

"Thank you, Itachi." The corner of her lips curl upwards slightly into a barely-there smile. He stares at her rapidly paling face. Pain and anguish appear on his own face unintentionally.

It is completely silent. Everyone is surprised. Sakura could have easily killed Sasuke, but she hesitated because she_ couldn't_. Now _she_ is dying, and it is quiet. Itachi finds breathing to be a lot harder to do as he stares at her face. Everyone watches closely as Sakura's chest rises and falls at an unsteady rate.

Then it stops.

Itachi stiffens. Sakura's tense body loosens in his arms. He closes his eyes, willing them not to show any emotion. Sakura's thin body feels colder than ever, telling him that she has passed.

He wishes she had said something else. He wishes she had tried to say something more. She _should_ have said something besides 'thank you'. He would feel better if she had yelled at him, cursed at him, but she didn't. She had accepted her death and it pains him. It hurts him just as the murder of his parents had, after all, he had dealt the final blow both times. He had killed his parents and now, he has killed the first non-familial woman who ever meant anything to him. He opens his eyes again. But with one look at the girl in his arms, he couldn't stop his eyes from getting watery. He closes them again, trying to force back his tears. At least no one could see his face. His hair blocked the way.

He opens his eyes and stares down at the corpse in his arms. Emotionless. Unmoving. Not at all like the person he once knew – vivacious, energetic, _warm_.

And it is all his fault. Various times of when Sakura smiled at him flash through his mind. He clutches her tighter.

She was only 17.

"Itachi," says Hana.

"Hana, I need you to take Sasuke and his team elsewhere for a while. I will talk to him when I get back," Itachi says. His voice is emotionless, but Hana is able to distinguish the telltale signs of Itachi's discomfort and sadness. She looks to Sasuke. Sasuke looks just as shattered as Itachi feels. Glancing around at the rest of the shinobi present, she realizes that they are all affected in some way.

Shikamaru is silent. He isn't looking at Itachi and Sakura. Instead, he is glaring at the ground. _I wasn't able to do anything to save her._

Shino is looking away from them as well. But, unlike Shikamaru, he is looking at the sky. Odd enough, considering Shikamaru normally is the cloud-watcher. _I hope you're happy up there._

Shizune is pretty much bawling. Sakura, after all, was much like her own little sister. _How am I going to tell Tsunade-sama? Sakura…_

Suigetsu isn't well off either. _Mana…is dead?_

Juugo is looking at Sasuke and Suigetsu worriedly. Discomfort is written all over his face. After all, Sakura was his friend. _You were good, Mana…no. Sakura._

Karin is glaring at the dead body. _You're not allowed to die unless I say so, Mana. You're not allowed!_ Sakura was the first person that Karin could have considered a female friend. Sure, they argued, but Karin couldn't lie and say she didn't enjoy the entertainment.

"Let's go, guys," says Hana. She pushes Shino and Shikamaru a little, shaking them out of their reveries. She wraps an arm around Shizune's shoulder. The poor woman's sobs were wracking her body. She is shaking and completely devastated. Hana shoots a look at Sasuke. "You heard your brother, Sasuke."

Sasuke closes his watery eyes, holding back his sadness. He nods and motions for his team to follow. Hana tries to read Sasuke like she does for his brother, but she can't read him. He has an emotionless mask on his face. Hana leads the rest of them away from the scene. She barely sees Itachi lower his forehead to the dead girl's forehead. She doesn't hear his pleas for her to come back.

* * *

Song is Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift. :)3

Anyways, this isn't the end! I already have the next few chapters written and ready. :)


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 8

It isn't like him to beg. Especially over a lost life.

He's a shinobi. Loss is a great part of their lives. He learned it a long time ago. After Shisui killed himself, after he killed his whole clan…yes, he learned about loss a long time ago. He also learned to deal with it.

But _her_ death. He isn't sure if he could.

It's strange, considering he only met her one year ago.

Maybe it's that soothing, warm twinkle in her eyes as she smiled at him. The kind of smile that he wasn't on the receiving end of for years. He lifts his hands from around her body to her cheeks, unintentionally smearing blood on her porcelain skin. At this point, he doesn't care about appearing weak. After all, she is _already_ dead. No one can use her as leverage against him anymore anyways.

She was his weakness. Oddly enough, a side of him wishes that she remains dead. One less weakness to protect. But, the side that wishes she is still alive insanely overpowers that small, crazed side.

He wants her to open her eyes. He wants her to smile. He wants to hear her laugh again. It has been too long since he last heard it. He wants her to speak. He wants her to say his name again. It was only his first time hearing his name come out of her mouth. The way she said his name sounded different from the way others say it. It sounded so natural.

He doesn't need her to say it for him to know. The way she had said his name told him perfectly well. Hell, even the way she looked at him was special.

He isn't alone in his feelings. She had felt the same.

She also couldn't kill his brother. Partially because Sasuke is one of her important friends and because he is Itachi's brother. Sakura didn't have to say it for Itachi to understand.

She chose to die rather than hurt the ones she loved.

Itachi pulls out the sword lodged in her chest. He lifts her up bridal style, holding her close to him. He laments the fact that this is the closest that he has ever had her. Her smile flashes in his mind again.

They should have had a chance to love each other properly.

He walks towards the forest again. He sees the villagers walking back. They are surprised, seeing the dead girl in his arms. They begin whispering to each other as Itachi passes by them, ignoring them.

"Isn't she the one who evacuated us?" Just when Itachi thinks he can't feel any worse about killing Sakura, bam, there it is. Sakura isn't evil. She never was. Before he arrived, she had evacuated all of the villagers just in case of a dangerous battle.

Inside the forest, he tries to find a body of water. He finds a lake. She is a shinobi. A shinobi trained by three of the strongest shinobi of all time – Tsunade, Kakashi and Madara. If anyone gets their hands on her body, Konoha will be in danger. He looks at her face again, as if committing it to memory. Keeping his eyes on her, he trudges into the water. With half of his body submerged in the water, he lays Sakura down on the water. He plants one small, chaste kiss on her forehead, and hesitantly, he lets go of her body. She floats for a few milliseconds, but soon, her body starts sinking.

Itachi closes his eyes. His face is not emotionless. Pain is written all over it with a thick black sharpie. When he opens his eyes, Sakura can no longer be seen. Itachi turns away from where he left her and walks out of the lake. He walks back towards the village. The villagers already forgot about it, going about with their usual days. Following Sasuke's chakra signature, he finds his way to a small inn.

After procuring information from the elderly woman at the reception desk, he finds his way up to Sasuke's room. Itachi knocks on the door, a bit reluctantly. The last time he talked to his brother, he had thought that it'd be the last time. This thought leads him back to Sakura, the one who saved him.

"Itachi," says Sasuke, getting the door. He is alone in the room. He moves a little to the side, allowing Itachi to walk inside. "How are you…?"

"Alive?" Itachi completes his question. "Madara found me. Sakura healed me." He sits down on the side of one of the beds. Sasuke sits down on the corner of the bed across from him.

"Your eyes…"

"They're yours."

Sasuke nods in understanding. "Sakura."

Itachi nods in response. Silence takes over. "What have you been doing for the past year?"

"I wanted revenge on Konoha. They ruined our lives." Sasuke's hands are balled into fists.

"A year ago, I wanted to set you on the right path. I wanted you to protect Konoha. They may have done some wrong things over the years, but it is our home. Jurisdiction there isn't the same as it used to be either."

"You were hated for years, aniki!"

"The Hokage recently hailed me a hero." He lets out a sarcastic laugh. He looks at his hands. The hands that killed his clan, his parents and Sakura.

"You didn't have to kill Sakura." Itachi closes his eyes.

"Does that make you mad? Your old teammate dying by your brother's hands?"

"She didn't have to die."

"She would have killed you."

"She _couldn't_ kill me. _She_ pushed _me_ away."

"I know."

Silence.

"When we were younger, she used to chase me around, nonstop. I could never get rid of her." The corners of Itachi's lips lifted a little, imagining a miniature Sakura chasing after an annoyed Sasuke. "When I left Konoha, she tried to stop me. I had to knock her out. I left her on a bench."

Itachi doesn't respond.

"I tried to kill her. A year ago. Several times." Sasuke pauses. "I never would have guessed that Danzo would be her grandfather…and that Sakura would eventually hate me."

"She doesn't hate you. If she did, she would have killed you."

"I couldn't hurt her during that fight."

"I know."

"You…towards Sakura…"

"Yeah."

"I see."

A silence. "What are you planning on doing now?" _I am alive after all. _

"I don't know."

"Come back to Konoha then."

"I won't be pardoned, aniki."

"Sakura couldn't kill you. It'd be wrong if her village could."

Silence again. "I understand."

"What of your team?"

"They'd follow me."

"Understandable."

Sasuke smiles a little. Their conversation is a little awkward, but at least he is talking to Itachi. If Itachi can let go of his revenge, Sasuke can too. He'll be going back to Konoha, where his blonde loud-mouth best friend is likely waiting.

If only the annoying, compassionate rosette was waiting with him.

X

_1 month later_…

"Uchiha Sasuke, you are being charged for numerous murders, countless offenses towards other countries, and betraying Konoha. Normally you would be sentenced to death…" Tsunade announces. She is in a room with Sasuke, Itachi, Kakashi, Hana, Naruto and the rest of Konoha 11. "But, seeing as you plead temporary emotional instability…" Sasuke shoots a glare at Naruto and Kakashi, who simply grin or smirk deviously in return. "You will be suspended until both your handlers or I deem you eligible. Your chakra will be sealed until then. You are to stay within Konoha walls."

Naruto jumps up and cheers.

"What about the other countries, Tsunade-sama, have they agreed to this?" asks Kakashi.

"Not yet, but they will," says Tsunade.

Kakashi and Itachi both narrow their eyes in suspicion. There is no way that they would let Sasuke go after all the things he has done. Gaara will likely try his best to get his country to forgive Sasuke, but the same can't be said about the other kages.

"Who are my handlers?" asks Sasuke.

"Your brother and your sensei have volunteered," says Tsunade. "If that is all, this case is dismissed. Shizune, call in the redhead." Shizune, who stands at the back of the room, nods and exits the room.

Tsunade looks at Sasuke expectantly. He should be getting up and leaving, right? "I'm staying for my team's verdict," says Sasuke. Tsunade almost scoffs, but she doesn't. She nods instead.

She can't bring herself to like Sasuke like the rest of her close followers do. She blames him for Sakura's defection. She blames him for Sakura's death. But, at the same time, if he never left, Sakura would have never had the resolve to get stronger and she never would have gotten closer to Tsunade. And Sakura never would have turned out to be such a strong, caring kunoichi.

Shizune walks in with Karin in tow. Karin sits down where Sasuke was sitting seconds ago, in front of Tsunade. Sasuke is now seated next to Itachi. Karin looks at Sasuke. Sasuke nods, either in greeting or in encouragement. Karin hopes it's the latter. She looks to the Hokage.

"I understand that you want to stay in Konoha," Tsunade starts, "However, with your previous crimes with Uchiha Sasuke and your previous escape from here, it is hard for Konoha to accept you immediately." Karin nods. This is going fairly well. "To prove your loyalty, you will be under watch. Until your handlers or I deem you loyal to Konoha, your chakra will be sealed and you will not be allowed to leave Konoha."

"Who are my handlers?" asks Karin.

"Yamanaka Ino and Inuzuka Hana have volunteered," says Tsunade. She could almost laugh, imagining Ino and Karin at each other's necks. The two are bound to get along, but not without a rocky start. To get Karin attached to Konoha, she has to get Karin acquainted with several other shinobi. Ino and Hana will likely become good friends with Karin. Aside from that, Karin's skills are useful. Konoha would be stupid to give her up.

"I assume you'd like to join Sasuke in awaiting the rest of your team's verdict," says Tsunade. Karin nods. Tsunade waves a hand towards the side where the rest of the company are seated. Karin gets up and joins them, sitting next to Sasuke. She sees Ino and Hana introduce themselves through her peripheral vision. "Next, Shizune!"

Shizune leaves the room once again. She brings in Suigetsu. He sits down where Karin sat. "Just bring in the other one too!" hollers Tsunade, "They all have the same verdict anyways!"

"That's not following the system though!" Shizune protests.

"I don't care about the damn system. All the elders have already stepped down anyways. It's time for new systems!" Tsunade argues back. Shizune sighs and leaves the room again. Seconds later, she walks back in with Juugo next to her. She pulls up a chair next to Suigetsu and Juugo sits down.

"Both of you are to be suspended until either your handlers or I deem you loyal to Konoha," recites Tsunade, "You are not allowed to leave Konoha. I suggest you listen unless you want to die. Alright? Good." She then leans back in her chair.

"Fish-Face, your handlers are Might Guy and Rock Lee." She smirks, but also feels a bit bad. The poor man might not survive with the two of them. She has a feeling that Suigetsu has a good heart, somewhere inside. She also thinks he might have a sense of humor. Might as well use it to humor the Hokage, right?

"Juugo, your handlers are Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Chouji." Juugo nods. "Alright, now all of you get out of here. Shizune, I need more sake!" After all of them have left the room, Tsunade kicks off her shoes and lays her legs on her desk.

_ Shizune stands at the door. "You're back. So soon," says Tsunade. She smiles, greeting them. Shizune steps inside. Tsunade notices her red eyes. Itachi, Hana, Shikamaru and Shino follow in. Behind them are Uchiha Sasuke and his infamous team. Sakura isn't there. By all of their solemn expressions, she understands. "I see…" _

_She feels a lump form in her throat. "Konohamaru, Moegi, Udon!" she calls. The little Chunin steps into the room. _

_ "Yes, Hokage-sama," Konohamaru greets. _

_ "Find Naruto, Kakashi, Ino and the Haruno's for me." The three of them nod and set out. _

_ When the five of them arrive, they are expectant. Hopeful. Naruto sees Sasuke, unchained, unhurt. He is instantly happy. But when he realizes that Sakura isn't there, his smile falters. With one look at Shizune, Ino understands. Kakashi as well. Mebuki and Kizashi stare at the Hokage expectantly. _Maybe Sakura is locked up_. _

_ "You are here…because I would like you to hear the mission report," says Tsunade. She waves at Itachi, telling him to start. Itachi opens his mouth and does as told. _

_ "Haruno Sakura has been eliminated," he says. His voice emotionless. Naruto's eyes widen. Tears flow out of them. Ino looks away. Kakashi nods in understanding. It had to happen. Mebuki lunges at Sasuke. _

_ "This is all your fault!" she shrieks. Kizashi holds her back, hugging her tightly. Mebuki stops and hugs her husband back. Mebuki's eyes are like waterfalls. Her husband's shirt is instantly soaked. Kizashi looks at Itachi._

_ "How…did she die?" he asks. _

_ "I stabbed her," says Itachi. _

_ "Was it painful?" he continues. _

_ "She didn't suffer much," Itachi responds. _

_ "Thank you," Kizashi says. Mebuki looks up at him. She sees understanding. She looks to Itachi, wondering why her husband accepted it so soon. What she saw, she never thought she would ever see._

_Uchiha Itachi looks…guilty. _

_Mebuki starts crying again. _

_ "Sakura, my Sakura!" she cries into Kizashi's shirt. Kizashi hugs her tighter. _

_ "What of these four?" asks Tsunade, not taking her eyes off of Sakura's parents. _

_ "They would like to stay here," says Itachi._

_ "Permanently or temporarily?" asks Tsunade, finally looking at Itachi._

_ "Permanently," responds Itachi. _

_ Naruto collapses to the ground, both out of happiness and out of sadness. Shikamaru walks up to Ino, wrapping an arm around her. She buries her head in the crook of his neck as she cries. Kakashi still refuses to look up from the ground. _

_ "I understand," says Tsunade, "I expect you to take care of them until their trials then?" _

_ "Yes, we will all stay at the Uchiha compound," responds Itachi. _

_ "That's a good idea," says Tsunade. "Now, Shizune, I need you to accompany the Haruno couple home. Shikamaru, I expect that you'll be able to take care of Ino. Naruto, you may do as you wish, but you are not allowed to leave Konoha, am I understood?" Kakashi steps forward._

_ "I'll take him back," says Kakashi._

_ "Okay," says Tsunade, "Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." Kakashi nods. He helps Naruto up and leads him out of the room. Shikamaru does the same with Ino. Shizune leaves with Sakura's parents. "Itachi, expect a full report tomorrow." Itachi nods._

_ "I will take them back to the compound then."_

_ "Yes, that's good." After the rest of them leave, she opens her drawer and pulls out a picture. A picture of Shizune, Ino, herself and Sakura… "Why did things turn out like this?" _

"Shishou, if people see you like this…" Tsunade could almost hear Sakura speaking to her. She lets more tears streak down her face. It will take her a while to forget about her beloved apprentice. After all, it always takes her a while to get over deaths. Normally, though, she has Jiraiya with her, to get her through, but Jiraiya isn't here anymore either. Dan's not here. Nawaki isn't here. And now, Sakura isn't here either.

X

It is a sunny day in Konoha again. It has been three months since he killed Sakura. Although everything has reverted back to normal, or as normal as everything can get, no one has forgotten Sakura. Itachi and Sasuke live every day, blaming themselves for the loss of a beautiful life.

"Itachi, are you listening?" asks a feminine voice.

"Sorry," Itachi responds. He turns to Hana. "I was just thinking."

"I know," says Hana, "You had that look in your eyes again."

"Hm."

Kakashi is currently watching Sasuke and Ino is currently watching Karin. That gives both Hana and Itachi a break. Hana had dragged Itachi out. The man barely goes out anymore.

"Well, it sure is beautiful out," she says.

"Yeah," agrees Itachi. He looks up in the sky. The clouds are all fluffy. Everyone seems happy in Konoha. They seem to have forgotten about the threat that is Madara. After all, Madara currently has no one. Over the past three months, they figured that either Madara died or he is trying to recruit new followers.

"You should try to forget about her," Hana says. Itachi shakes his head. This is not the first time they've had this conversation. "Look, your clan only has you and Sasuke left. If you don't move on, it's all up to Sasuke-stick-up-his-ass to reproduce. I'm not sure if Konoha can take a clan of him moving around."

Itachi chuckles. "We'll see."

"Karin seems more than eager to get a head start too," says Hana.

"Stop," Itachi says. It's weird for her to talk about his brother in this sort of way.

Hana lets out a laugh. "Alright, alright. I'm just saying, you know." Itachi shrugs slightly. He knows that Sasuke won't be giving into Karin anytime soon. Itachi knows that Sakura means more to Sasuke than he lets on. He may not love her like Itachi does, but Sakura's death affected Sasuke greatly, especially since he blames himself. Itachi is convinced that had he not been here and Sakura never got over Sasuke, she would have been Sasuke's primary candidate. Sasuke definitely would have loved her.

Strangely enough, Itachi doesn't feel bad for stealing away Sasuke's almost-soul-mate.

He doesn't regret it at all.

"I gotta go back home for a bit," says Hana, "I trust that you'll stay in town and have some fun?" Itachi scoffs. Hana laughs a little and leaves.

He heads for the library.

X

"Nothing?" asks Tsunade. Across from her stands Kakashi.

Kakashi shakes his head. "No one has heard from Madara."

"Seriously, where is this bastard?" Tsunade pounds a fist on her desk. "Is he dead or something?"

"Hopefully."

She sighs. "Alright. You should go back to switch places with Itachi now. He needs a rest."

"I understand."

"Wait, Kakashi," says Tsunade, "In this report…" She points to a certain part on the parchment Kakashi handed her. Kakashi glances at it and understands what Tsunade doesn't feel right about.

"Yeah, I know. They said that she had pink hair."

"Sakura had brown hair, right?"

"Unless she dyed it back."

"But that's impossible. She died. Itachi left her in the lake."

Silence takes over.

"Don't mention this to anyone."

"I know."

"You are dismissed." Kakashi leaves the room. Tsunade continues looking over the parchment. Remembering something, she pulls out other scrolls. She lets them all unroll on her desk. Unknown kunoichi. Unknown kunoichi. Unknown kunoichi. There have been three mentions of an unknown kunoichi assisting Konoha's teams in missions over the past six months. Some of them claim they saw pink.

She just hopes that Itachi, Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, Ino, and the other people who never got over Sakura's presumed death don't find out about this. They would definitely chase after this.

Because there's no way…right?

"Shizune, find me Yamato!"

X

Naruto walks through the town. Many villagers wave at him.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun," says most of them.

He sure is well-liked by the villagers. He finds his way to Ichiraku's.

"Naruto-kun," greets Teuchi. "The usual?" Naruto nods.

"Yes, please!" Naruto says with a smile on his face.

"So how is Sasuke-kun?" he asks.

"He's good. I think he's doing a lot better. He'll probably be off of probation soon."

"That's great."

A solemn look takes over Naruto's face. _Sakura is supposed to be the one saying that to me._ His heart aches as he thinks of his first love and her tragic end. One of his biggest regrets in life, following close behind with letting Sasuke go all those years ago…is letting Sakura die. He should have been there.

Teuchi hands him his noodle bowl.

"Itadakimasu," says Naruto as he digs in.

"Hey, Dickless," someone greets from his side. Naruto doesn't have to turn to know that it is Sai. Naruto doesn't smile and he doesn't stop eating.

"Sai," he says with his mouth filled with noodles.

"You're up early."

"Yeah. Eating here today?"

Sai nods. "Yeah. I was reading a book yesterday."

"Is this inappropriate?"

"No. Actually. It's not."

"Then what is it about?"

"You see, it was about zebras and how they repro-" A fist hits Sai from the side, knocking him out. Naruto could swear he sees steam coming out of Sai's head. The noodles fall straight out of Naruto's mouth as he turns. _Sakura-chan_? He turns to find Ino.

He couldn't help but feel disappointed. _Oh yeah. Sakura's gone._

"You're eating ramen for breakfast?" asks Ino. For the past nine months, Ino has taken up Sakura's role of taking care of Naruto and making sure he eats properly. Naruto nods and smiles. "That's really unhealthy. Listen, my team and I are getting dinner tonight. You coming?"

"Don't Shikamaru and Chouji have to guard Juugo?" asks Naruto, stuffing his face with ramen again.

"Juugo's probation ended this morning. The guy is harmless until he goes on his rampages," says Ino. "He agreed to let Tsunade-sama work on his problem."

"I see," says Naruto, "Well, that's great. I guess we should celebrate."

"You want to invite Juugo as well?" Naruto nods.

"Yeah, of course. Might as well bring Hana and Karin too! Sasuke and Itachi could come too. And Suigetsu and Lee." Ino laughs, remembering the last time she saw the fish-like man. Lee and Guy were definitely driving Suigetsu crazy. Lee sure was taking Sakura's death well. Ino looks down.

"Come on, Ino," says Naruto, "Eat, my treat."

"I'd rather not eat ramen for breakfast." Her face scrunches up.

"Fine, fine," he responds. "So where are we going tonight?"

"My place. I'm cooking." Naruto almost chokes.

"Eh-heh, Ino-sama, I don't want to die yet." He can swear he sees a vein dangerously close to popping in her forehead. Ino holds up a fist at him. "I'll go, I'll go."

Ino smiles in triumph. "When he wakes up, tell him to come as well. I'll invite everyone."

"Okay."

"See you later, Naruto."

"B-Bye, Ino-sama." She grins deviously as she leaves. Naruto shakes his head. Yep, Ino definitely took over the reins Sakura left behind. He looks over at Sai. Sai sat up straight.

"That went well," he says.

"Yeah, no casualties," Naruto responds. "You pretended to be knocked out the whole time?"

"Ino doesn't hit as hard as Ugly."

"Yeah. That's true."

The two of them smile, reminiscing the various times Sakura beat them up. They were so happy then.

X

"What's for breakfast?" asks Sasuke as he sits down on a stool besides the counter.

"Good morning to you too," Hana responds sarcastically.

"Exploded anything yet?" he asks.

"No, not yet," she responds. "Don't you have something better to do, Uchiha?"

"Not really," he responds. "Itachi's out. Kakashi's reading his porn. Karin's with Ino. Suigetsu is still trying to find a way to run away. And Juugo is god knows where."

"So you decide to bother me."

"Not bothering."

"Naruto, no one will ever believe you're me," says a third voice. Sasuke. He walks down the steps of his house. Naruto gapes. Hana laughs.

"I thought I was pretending pretty convincingly," Naruto protests.

"No, not really," says Hana, "Mini-Uchiha here doesn't talk as much, remember?"

"I thought he would have grown accustomed to you already. I mean, you're practically like his sister-in-law." Sasuke glares at Naruto.

"Don't ever say that in front of Itachi," says Hana and Sasuke at the same time.

Over the past year, Itachi hasn't changed. When he isn't spending his time watching over Sasuke, he is at the library, reading through all of the books. His favorite are the ones with Sakura's name written in them – the ones Sakura read before. The more times Sakura's name is in it, the more he likes the book. Of course, Hana is the one who figured it out. Itachi never shows his weakness, after all.

"So what's for breakfast?" asks Naruto, changing the subject.

"Grilled fox," responds Hana. Naruto shrinks away. Sasuke smirks. Hana lets out a laugh. "Naruto, you're 18 now, pretending to be scared doesn't help your image."

"What image," Sasuke mumbles.

"So, Naruto, I heard that Hinata confessed to you," Hana says, changing the topic.

"W-Where did you hear that?" Naruto gasps.

"Only one confession and you're already sounding like her," Sasuke mutters.

Hana laughs. "Ino knows everything."

"Damn her." He pauses. "Oh yeah, Teme, I heard something today." Sasuke looks at him. "Almost forgot." He throws his arms behind his neck and smiles. "Itachi and Kakashi agreed that you've been a good boy lately."

"His probation's ending?" asks Hana.

"Yeah. Tsunade-baa-chan's contemplating it right now, I think."

"That's great news!" Hana smiles. Naruto pats Sasuke on his back.

"Yeah, great," says Sasuke, the corner of his lips lifting a little.

And just like that, one year has passed.

X

_Happy Birthday to you,_

_Happy Birthday to you,_

_Happy Birthday, dear Sakura,_

_Happy Birthday to you_…

Candles over a small cake illuminate her face. She pauses a little, closing her eyes, before she blows out the candles. She doesn't smile. Instead, all the light in her eyes seem to disappear with the dimmed candles.

"Your singing has improved." Sakura looks up at the intruder.

"What are you doing here?" she snaps.

"It's your 18th birthday," he says, "Here is your present." He holds out a box. Sakura hesitantly takes it from him. He doesn't leave. She knows he is waiting for her to open it. He wants to see her reaction. She opens the box.

As soon as the box is opened, Sakura bends over the side of her chair and throws up.

It's a decaying head. Decayed beyond recognition.

"Who is this?" she asks.

"No one, yet," he says. "If you continue to disobey me, there will be more to come. Soon, it will be someone from Konoha." He pulls out a kunai and licks it.

"Stop it, Kabuto," says another voice. "But really, Mana, you should stop disobeying him. If you continue, I won't be able to stop him from doing _that_ again." Sakura shrinks back.

"What do you want from me?" asks Sakura.

"I want you to stick to orders," says Madara. "Stop helping the enemy."

"Because you intervened last time, those Konoha shinobi are growing stronger. You're the reason why we have to wait again," says Kabuto. "You should really be punished, Sakura-chan."

Sakura backs away until her back hits the wall. "Don't come closer."

"Stop it, Kabuto," says Madara. "Let's go. We have business to attend to." Kabuto puts away his kunai. He follows behind Madara as they leave. After hearing the door shut, Sakura wraps her arms around herself.

"Make it end already," she sobs. "Itachi…"

* * *

Stay tuned for next chapterrr. :)


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 9

_"Itachi…_"

Itachi looks up at the sky. Did someone just call his name? He looks around him. There's no one around. What's weirder is the fact that it sounded eerily like Sakura. She sounds hurt. He closes the book in his hands and gets up.

He walks towards the Hokage Tower. Outside of Tsunade's office, Shizune stands guard.

"Itachi-san," greets Shizune. She looks extra sad today.

"Is something wrong?" he asks.

"Yes, um, today's Sakura's birthday," says Shizune. "First birthday since she's been gone."

"I see," he responds. "Is Hokage-sama here?"

"Yeah, but I don't suggest you go in. She's dealing with something right now," says Shizune. Itachi nods. He pauses, however, when he hears Sakura's name. Having nearly been blind before, Itachi's hearing is better than the average shinobi's. Like Shizune said, Tsunade isn't alone. Someone is in there with her. Someone who just mentioned Sakura's name. Itachi waves a little to Shizune.

"I'll be back later, then," he says. He walks out of the Tower and, making sure no one is around, he cloaks his chakra and walks up the side of the Tower. Sitting outside of the window, on the roof, he listens in on the conversation. Tsunade is talking to Yamato.

"You mean to say that...you can't find anything on this…vigilante?" asks Tsunade.

"Yeah. No one besides the ones that were involved saw the girl," responds Yamato.

"I really thought that it would be Sakura," says Tsunade. She rubs her face with her hands. "I should probably stop getting my hopes up."

"If I may, Hokage-sama, I would like to continue investigating this person."

"No, Yamato, it's fine. I need you for other missions."

"But I want to do it."

"I understand that Sakura meant a lot to you too. You were her captain, but…she's dead. It has been a year. We should get to accepting it."

"Not when there is new evidence like this. I can't accept it. Naruto-kun definitely wouldn't if he ever found out. He wouldn't forgive you for giving up."

"What is he talking about?" Itachi interrupts. He is on the window sill.

The two in the room are taken aback. "Uchiha Itachi, listening in on the Hokage's conversations is strictly against the law!" Tsunade almost screeches.

"What is he talking about?" Itachi asks again. His eyes narrow at her.

Tsunade sighs. Itachi wouldn't let this go. That's why she didn't tell him or send him on the mission. "There has been instances where a kunoichi has saved our shinobi and some villagers. Some say she has pink hair and is a medic."

"Where did you hear this from?" asks Itachi. "What village?"

"Doesn't matter, Itachi, you're not going."

Itachi narrows his eyes. "If there's a chance that she's alive. I'm going."

"Are you threatening me, Uchiha?" asks Tsunade. She glares back at him.

Itachi pauses. "No."

"Good. Now go." Itachi hesitantly nods and leaves. She looks to Yamato.

"I want you to watch over him. Make sure he doesn't do anything irrational."

"I understand."

"Thank you, Yamato." Yamato nods and leaves. Tsunade buries her face in her hands again.

Things are about to get very troublesome.

X

"Where's Karin?" asks Itachi. Sasuke stands across from him.

"Is everything okay, aniki?" asks Sasuke.

"Yes," Itachi responds. "But where is Karin?"

"What do you need Karin for?" asks Hana, coming out from a room behind Itachi.

"I need to ask her something," says Itachi.

"I've never heard you talk to her before," says Sasuke. "What is it?"

"Sasuke, just tell me where she is."

Sasuke glares at his brother. Something isn't right about Itachi.

"She's out with Ino," says Hana. Itachi turns to leave, but Sasuke grabs his arm.

"You are going to tell me what happened or I'm not letting you leave," Sasuke says.

"Sakura might be alive," Itachi says. Sasuke's eyes widen.

He should have known. He sighs. After all, the only one who seems to be able to get Itachi so worked up is Sakura. One year ago, the idea that his brother is in love with Sakura didn't sit well with him, especially when he, himself, had feelings for the girl, but Sasuke couldn't bring himself to fight with his brother for her. His brother did kill her for him after all. And, even though Sasuke has known her longer, Itachi obviously cares for her more.

"Inuzuka, keep him here. Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid," says Sasuke, "I'll go look for Karin and Ino." Hana nods and grabs Itachi's arm.

"Calm down, Itachi. How did you find this out anyways?"

"I heard her." Though Itachi's voice has been calm this whole time, Hana could see the storm brewing in his eyes. Hana looks at him like he's crazy.

"That would mean that she's near here," says Hana.

"She called out to me. I know it," says Itachi. "And…the Hokage says there have been instances when villagers and shinobi were saved by a pink-haired medic."

Hana gasps. "Let's hope she is alive then."

"I want to know why she didn't come back."

"If she is indeed alive, many people will want to know why she didn't come back." Itachi nods. "But you know that even if she is alive, you can't leave Konoha to go after her unless Tsunade-sama orders it."

"I know."

"Good. Nobody needs you betraying Konoha again. Especially not Sasuke."

"I know."

"Let's sit down and wait."

"Aa." The two take a seat in the living room and await Sasuke's and Karin's arrival.

Ino is with them when they arrive. Apparently Sasuke already told them what was going on. Ino wanted to see with her own eyes whether or not Sakura is still alive. Just for the heck of it, Karin sits in the middle of the room, Indian style. Her eyes are closed. A little bit later, she opens her eyes again.

"Nothing," says Karin. "I can't find her."

Itachi looks away. Hana puts a hand on Itachi's shoulder. "We should never have gotten our hopes up in the first place. It's okay. Come on, let's go for a walk." She wraps her hand around Itachi's arm and pulls him up. After they leave the room, Ino looks at Karin.

"Something's wrong, what is it?" asks Ino.

"I tried something else…" says Karin.

"I was wondering why it took longer than usual," says Sasuke. "Well?"

"I've been developing a new way to track someone, you know, since I have so much time on my hands…" she says. Sasuke raises an eyebrow at her. "By aura…or scent if you must. For example, Ino's is a pale purple color. Sasuke-kun, yours is dark purple, almost black. Itachi-san's is blue."

"But you didn't develop this when Sakura was around," says Ino. "So how…?"

"Remember that time you asked me to help you clean out Sakura's old room?" asks Karin. Ino nods. She then motions her hands as if it is the most obvious thing in the world.

"Her room smells like her," Ino concludes.

"Yeah. Her aura is all over her room," says Karin.

"So, what did you find?" asks Sasuke, impressed with Karin's newfound ability.

"Sakura's aura is such a pure white that it was really easy to track. She's not where Itachi left her. In fact, she's in Otogakure….locked in your old room," she turns to Sasuke.

"Karin, you are the best tracker ever, oh my god, I love you," Ino squeals. "We found Sakura!" She hugs Karin from behind. Tsunade was right, the two girls got along easily after they got past the fact that they both are in love with Uchiha Sasuke.

"How come you couldn't track her chakra? Is she dead?" asks Sasuke.

"Someone could have blocked her chakra emanation," says Karin.

"Madara…" says Sasuke. He looks to the both of them. "I'm going to need both of you not to mention this to my brother. He would no doubt go after her." The two girls nod. "Thank you, Karin."

"Wait, where are you going, Sasuke-kun?" asks Ino.

"I'm going to the Hokage," says Sasuke.

"If that's the case, I'm coming with you!" says Karin.

Ino nods. "Me too."

"Let's go."

X

"Naruto, take that side," orders Sasuke. "Hyuuga, over there."

The two of them listen. After figuring out that Sakura is in Otogakure, likely being held prisoner, Tsunade immediately sent a rescue team. It is all hidden from Itachi, though. They didn't want to get his hopes up just in case Sakura is still on Madara's side. Though Itachi still looks normal to mostly everybody, the ones closer to him sees the difference between Itachi before Sakura's death and after.

"Sai and Sasuke, you two go in first," says Shikamaru. "We'll take care of the backup."

"I want to see her too!" hollers Naruto.

"I'll stay behind, Naruto can go," says Sai. Naruto looks to Sai appreciatively.

"I'll lead us inside after we take care of the guards," says Sai. Shikamaru nods.

"Alright." They all nod at each other. Naruto and Sasuke position themselves, ready to rush inside. Sai draws a few snakes and Shikamaru takes control of some shadows. Neji then takes them down.

"Go!" says Shikamaru. Naruto and Sasuke rush inside. The inside of the hideout doesn't have many shinobi guards. It is pretty easy to get past them. So, in about five minutes, they reach Sasuke's old room. The door is locked from the outside. The two of them quickly knock the door down. But wait, why hasn't Sakura done it herself?

Looking inside the dark room, Naruto rushes forward, spotting the broken girl dressed in rags, barely covered at all. She is crouched in the corner of the room on her little blood-covered bed.

"Sakura-chan!" At three feet away, Sakura shrinks back from him.

"Don't come any closer. Please," she whimpers. Naruto's heart aches at the view. He turns and looks at Sasuke, unsure of what to do. Sasuke steps forward.

"Sakura, it's us, Naruto and Sasuke," says Sasuke, slowly.

"No, this is all a lie," Sakura cries. Her voice is almost silent. So weak. In a few seconds, Shikamaru, Neji and Sai arrive at the door. They look inside the room and see Sakura. "Leave me alone…Please."

"Sakura-chan," coos Naruto. "It's really us." He takes a cautious step closer to her.

"Stay back!" she cries. "Stay back!"

"Sakura, it's really us," says Sasuke. He steps closer to the girl as well. He sees Naruto take off his jacket. _Better let Naruto take care of this_. Naruto takes small steps closer.

"Save me, Itachi," the girl whispers. Naruto stops in his steps. He turns and looks at Sasuke.

"Two of you guys…go back and bring Itachi here," says Sasuke towards the three behind him. "Hurry." Sai and Neji look at each other.

"We'll be back before six hours," says Neji. The two then turn and leave.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto begs. "Please."

"Leave me alone," she whimpers. "Go away."

"Naruto, we can't do anything except wait," says Sasuke.

"Sakura-chan, at least put this on." He gently throws his jacket at her. Sakura catches it hesitantly and puts it on, wrapping it around her cold body. "Sasuke, I don't think they've fed her much."

"Doesn't seem like it," says Sasuke. He looks at Sakura's small figure. She is shivering. He isn't sure if it's from fear or from coldness. This room is very cold, after all.

"I wonder how long this has been going on," says Naruto.

"Probably three or four months," says Shikamaru.

"How can you tell?" asks Sasuke.

"She was seen four months or so ago, right? Makes sense that they would lock her up afterwards," says Shikamaru. Naruto turns to Sakura again.

"Are you hungry, Sakura-chan?" Sakura reluctantly nods.

"I'll go get food. I know where the kitchen is," says Sasuke.

"Alright. Come back soon," says Naruto. Sasuke nods. Shikamaru steps into the room and sits a little behind Naruto. "Sakura-chan…are you cold?"

"N-No!" she screeches.

Naruto turns and looks at Shikamaru. He turned at looked at him at the same time.

"Something isn't right," says Naruto.

"You said it," says Shikamaru.

"What did they do to her?" asks Naruto. He lets his eyes roam over Sakura's frail body. She looks pretty beat up – very bloody. Shikamaru spots blood stains on the bed. He just hopes that it's from the cuts on her body. He glances at Naruto. It's best that he doesn't mention this.

After a few minutes of examining Sakura, Sasuke comes back. He has a loaf of bread in his hands. "This is all they had," he says. "Sakura, here, take it." Sakura's thin arms stretch forward and take the bread from his hands. Sasuke is careful not to step beyond her comfort zone. She obviously doesn't want any of them close.

"I'm going to kill them," says Naruto. Sasuke looks to him.

"We don't know where they are," says Sasuke.

"I don't care. I'm going to kill them," says Naruto. Sasuke takes one look at Sakura and feels the same anger that Naruto feels. In front of them is Sakura. The kind, warm girl. But instead of being warm, she is being as cold as she probably feels.

"I guess all we can do is wait," says Shikamaru.

"I hope those assholes come back so I can kick their asses," says Naruto.

"They'll hurt Sakura," says Sasuke, "We better hope they don't come back. She could easily be used as leverage against us right now." Naruto looks down. Seconds later, he looks back up at Sakura. She hasn't moved an inch. Still trying to get as far away from them as possible.

"What did they do to you, Sakura-chan?" Naruto whispers.

X

"Hokage-sama, Sakura isn't alright," says Neji, "We need to bring Itachi along."

"So it is…?" asks Tsunade.

"Apparently," says Neji.

"Then what are you waiting for? Get Uchiha Itachi!" Tsunade orders.

Sai and Neji rush out of Tsunade's room through the window. They make it to the reconstructed Uchiha compound in record time. Not bothering to knock or anything, they barge into the area where Itachi lives. Hana is there with him. Itachi doesn't word his question. He simply raises his eyebrows at them. After all, he has barely had any interaction with either of them.

Hana, on the other hand, stands up, demanding why they're barging in like uncultured brats.

"My brother better not be like you guys!" she scolds.

"No time for this, Hana-san," says Neji, holding up a hand to stop her. "Uchiha-san, you have to come with us." Itachi looks at them. He is confused, but his face is expressionless.

"He's not going anywhere with you guys unless you tell us what is going on!" Hana exclaims. Itachi grabs her arm gently, telling her to stop. He looks to the two boys.

"What is it?" he asks.

"No time for explanations," says Sai, "Do you want to see Sakura or not?"

"What are you talking about? Sakura's dead, right?" asks Hana.

"No time to explain," repeats Sai. "Are you coming or not?" Itachi lets go of Hana's arm. The two teenagers nod and disappear out of the house. Hana looks at Itachi.

"You're going? What if it's a trap?" she asks.

"I'll be fine. Even if it is a trap, I have to see myself," he says. He nods at her briefly before disappearing as well. Hana didn't have time to say anything.

Itachi sees the two teenagers waiting for him at the Konoha's north gate. They are popping soldier pills in their mouths. Sai holds one out to Itachi. "You should take one. We're running to Sound with no break."

_Sound_? Itachi takes one of the pills, but he doesn't eat it. He places it in his pocket instead. The three then set out. "Explain." Sai looks at him then at Neji.

"Ugly is alive," says Sai.

"Barely," corrects Neji.

"What do you mean?" asks Itachi.

"She's…different. It's hard to explain. You'll see when we get there," says Sai.

Itachi couldn't stop the anxiousness that takes over his mind. _Sakura is alive_. _I didn't kill her._ Over the past year, he would frequently wake up in the middle of the night because he had seen himself killing her over and over again, as if he was stuck in a genjutsu like the ones he afflicts on others.

They are moving so fast. They can barely see their surroundings. Only the area in front of them. Soon enough, they are at Sound. They slow down a little. Sai leads them through the compound. In a few seconds, they arrive at an opening. Sai and Neji stand aside as Itachi walks into the dark room. He sees his brother, the Nara kid and Naruto. But they are not alone. A small figure sits on the bed in front of the three teenagers. She has her head down, her forehead resting on her knees. Itachi can tell that she is malnourished and has not been treated well. Her body itself looks nothing like it did a year ago, but her pink hair is unmistakable. He takes one step forward.

Sasuke stands up. "She just fell asleep."

"What happened?" asks Itachi, too surprised to be angry at his brother for lying.

"Let's talk outside," says Sasuke. Though reluctant to leave the room, Itachi follows behind Sasuke. "After you left with Hana the other day, Karin told us that she found Sakura and that Sakura is here. We immediately told Hokage-sama and she sent us five to retrieve Sakura."

"You didn't tell me," says Itachi.

"I didn't want you to see this," says Sasuke, quietly. Itachi understands.

"Thank you, Sasuke." Itachi reaches out and pokes Sasuke in the head. "But why did you get me?"

"She won't trust any of us. I think she'll trust you. Before…" He is having trouble explaining. "She said 'Save me, Itachi.' I assumed that it'd be best for you to be here."

"Do you know what happened to her?"

"No. Aside from screaming at us to not get any closer to her, she has barely said a word." Itachi looks back into the room. All of the boys look worried beyond their years.

"So we're just going to wait for her to wake up?" he asks.

"We were thinking about moving her. If Madara and Kabuto come back, it won't be safe here. Our primary mission is to get Sakura to safety, not defeat them."

"I understand."

Sasuke nods. "You carry her." He then walks into the room. "We're setting out." The rest of the team nod. They exit the room as Itachi enters. He takes careful steps closer to the small girl wearing the black and orange hoodie. He gently lifts a glowing hand to her forehead. He had learned this trick from her almost two years ago – her anesthetic jutsu, though a milder form. He then wraps his arms around her – one arm behind her back to support her and the other arm under her knees. She is too small. Too light.

"Let's go," he says as he exits the room. The five boys nod and Sasuke leads them out. Itachi finds himself constantly worrying whether or not she's uncomfortable. She is so fragile right now. So unlike herself. She used to be so strong. So _healthy_.

X

Her eyes open. It is bright for once. She has to repeatedly close and open her eyes to let them get accustomed to the brightness. She glances around. There is a slight pressure on her right hand. She finds that she doesn't have enough energy to move to look at what it is. But, she doesn't have to. Said pressure lightens.

"Sakura," a deep tenor voice says.

"Itachi," she says. A smile graces her features as she stares up at him. "You came."

"Aa," he says. His eyebrows furrow slightly at the memory of Sakura's examination.

_"So how is she?" asks Naruto. Itachi looks at Tsunade expectantly. _

_ "She'll be fine," says Tsunade, "No major injuries."_

_ "So nothing's wrong with her?" asks Naruto. _

_ "I didn't say that," responds Tsunade. "All the damage has been done. Most of them to her mind."_

_ "What do you mean?" asks Sasuke. _

_ "You said that she refused to let you guys near her, right?" Tsunade asks. _

_ "Yeah," responds Naruto. Sasuke nods. _

_ "Well, that's because…" Tsunade takes a deep breath. "That's because she was raped." Her voice had cracked. Tears flow from her eyes freely as Ino runs up to hug her. _

Shutting his eyes to block out the memory, he opens them to focus on the girl in front of him. "Is something wrong?" she asks. "Is it…awkward for you?"

Itachi almost raised an eyebrow to ask her to elaborate, but he figures out what she means almost immediately. They had, after all, barely had any physical contact before her death. Their feelings had simply grown stronger over time.

"Not at all," he says. He gently takes her hand in his.

"That's good." She smiles again.

"I'm going to go call a medic," says Itachi. He lets go of her hand and is about to turn around, when Sakura's hand grabs onto the hem of his shirt.

"Don't leave me here alone," she whispers.

He holds back a sigh. "I'll only be gone for a second. I'll be right back," he says. "Okay?"

Sakura's eyes fill with tears. He suddenly feels bad. "Okay. Hurry back." Her voice sound so small. Like a child. Itachi nods and leaves the room. He closes the door behind him. With his hand on the handle of the door, he stands outside for a little, eyes downcast. Seconds later, he walks towards Tsunade's room.

"She's awake?" Tsunade asks.

"Aa," he responds.

"I appreciate what you're doing for her, really," says Tsunade, flashing a smile at him. She grabs her books and gets up. "Are you going back to her room?"

Itachi pauses for a second, contemplating.

Then, he shakes his head.

Tsunade's eyes widen briefly, but then she closes them briefly. "I understand."

Itachi bows a little and leaves her office. Tsunade does the same, but the two head in different directions. Outside of the hospital, Itachi pauses. He looks back, but instead of heading back inside, he heads back to the compound. He doesn't know what to do with _her_.

She cared for him in his time of need, but he was never the caring type. The last time he ever had to say encouraging words was when Sasuke was a little baby.

The problem is…it has been years since then.

It has also been years since he was forced to be a coldblooded killer. Patience and care have long been deleted from his vocabulary. He is very fond of Sakura, he may even be in love with her, but he can't care for someone outwardly. He is straight forward, sometimes to the point that it is cruel. Sakura is fragile at this moment, and he knows he should be there for her. But he doesn't know how to. He isn't even sure if he _wants_ to.

And that fact scares him.

He was basically dead for a whole year because of the guilt and sadness from her death. When he found out she is actually alive, he was happy. However, he was expecting the girl that took care of him two years ago, not this scared, broken girl. The feelings for her are still there and he is worried about her, but he can't be there for her, especially not how she needs him. She needs soft words. She needs _caring_ words. Encouragement. She needs people who can see her getting through this. And, though, Itachi hopes she'll get better, he has always been quite a pessimist.

He knows he can't be the one who is there for her during this time.

X

Tsunade walks into Sakura's hospital room for the umpteenth time since yesterday. Sakura looks up at her. Tsunade could almost weep at the fact that Sakura's eyes seem so _dead_. Hell, the girl even looks dead. Almost exactly like a dead person. Except, Sakura's eyes moved. It would look a little scary if not for the fact that Sakura's hair is so brightly pink.

"Sakura," Tsunade whispers. Sakura begins tearing up. She doesn't move. She's too weak to move. Tsunade walks closer and Sakura's tears start spilling out. "Sakura, you're safe now."

"Shishou," Sakura's voice is weak. Her fingers lift off the bed a little. "I'm safe?"

"You're safe, Sakura, you're safe. And you'll get through this." Tsunade grabs onto Sakura's hand gently.

Sakura's tears continue to spill out of her eyes. "Where's Itachi?"

"He had some business to take care of. He'll come back when he can. I'm sorry, Sakura," Tsunade lies. She saw the look in the older Uchiha's eyes when came to fetch her. The young man isn't sure how he feels about this new Sakura.

And she understands. Tsunade isn't sure if Sakura saw past her lie. If she did, she sees no indication.

"Your friends are all very worried, Sakura."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Are you okay with seeing them?"

Sakura doesn't answer. She keeps her eyes on her hand in Tsunade's. Tsunade changes the topic instead. "Well since there is nothing wrong with you that stands out in your medical examination, when would you like to be released?"

"Doesn't matter."

"I suggested that you stay here for at least another week. As precaution."

"That's fine."

"Well, Sakura, is…is it too soon to tell me what happened to you over the past year?" Sakura looks away and takes her hand out of Tsunade's. She wraps her arms around herself and pulls her legs in. "I'm sorry, Sakura, forget I asked." The corner of Sakura's lips lift slightly. A forced smile.

"I'm okay, shishou. Don't worry."

"Okay. Well is there anything you need?"

"Can you tell Itachi to come soon?" Tsunade falters. Sakura is looking straight at her, but it's like she's looking straight _past_ her. "Please." Tsunade could feel her heart shattering. Her little, innocent, _happy_ apprentice…where did she go? Two years ago, Sakura would never have depended on someone else like this. Hell, what did that Uchiha do to make her trust him so much anyways?

"I'll try." She couldn't force Itachi to be there for Sakura. Especially if he's scared. His fright could be detrimental to both of them. And, that could not be a good thing at all. Sakura right now is extremely fragile. To put her in any duress could cause her permanent pain. Right now, she is fixable, but if faced with more? She would have to be instated into a psychiatric ward.

"Thank you."

After Tsunade leaves, Sakura stares out of her window. She's back in Konoha. She's safe, right? She sinks down into her hospital bed and pulls the covers over her head as if they could block out everything. As if it could protect her. However, being alone is not good for anyone with poor mental health. Sakura's mind strays back to two days ago. _His_ lips all over her. _His_ hands touching where no man has ever done so. Sakura begins crying again. She gets up and stumbles towards the bathroom – determined to wash the feeling off. Wash _him_ off.

Since it is a hospital, there is no tub. Instead, there is just a showerhead and a little drain one or so feet away from the sink and toilet. Sakura turns on the water. It is cold. She doesn't change it. She stands at the center of the spray, allowing the cold water to drench her – calm her. She doesn't even realize that her clothes are still on.

When she comes to, someone's face is only inches away from hers. _Him_. Sakura opens her mouth to scream. To plead him to stop, yet again, to no avail; however, suddenly, a voice that doesn't belong to Kabuto escapes him and he reaches out to shake her?

Sakura's eyes snap open. She is on her hospital bed again. It was only a nightmare, she tells herself. She looks at the person in front of her. Sai. But, he's not alone. Naruto's there and Sasuke's there. She doesn't want to see them. They'll give her the same look that everyone else she has seen so far has given her.

They look at her like she's a broken toy.

"Sakura-chan!" says Naruto. "You're awake!"

"You were screaming," says Sasuke. "Are you okay?" Surprise, surprise, the Uchiha shows feelings. How long has she been gone again? She looks up at Sai. He's too _close._ Sakura shifts a little to the side of her bed.

"I'm sorry, guys, but can you please leave?" she whispers. The three _men_ turn and look at each other, shooting each other looks. Then, they turn back to her. _The Look_ is back on her. "Please."

"We understand," says Sasuke.

"We'll be back another time, Sakura-chan," says Naruto.

"See you soon, Sakura," says Sai. He didn't call her by her nickname.

"Thank you," she says. Sai walks towards where Naruto and Sasuke are standing. The three exit together. Sakura lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding, as if a weight has been lifted off her shoulder. She looks around the room. Too small. Too confined. She feels like she is suffocating all over again. A face pops into her mind. _Itachi_. She clutches her head as if in pain. She saw Tsunade's facial expression before. Her shishou had lied. But why? Did she scare Itachi off? Is that why Tsunade had to lie?

Sakura looks down at her clothes. Not wet. When and how did she get out of the bathroom? Sakura, instead of heading back in there, buries her head in the pillow, letting her tears and such fall. She sobs. Cries. Weeps. She wraps her blanket around her tighter, covering her head as well. Hopefully no one can hear her.

She doesn't need any more of _those looks_.

"Sakura?" A voice.

Sakura tenses up. She refuses to lift her head. Hell, she refuses to breathe. Suddenly, Sakura felt hands wrap around her arms and turn her over, pulling the blanket off of her head.

It's Ino. She looks at Sakura's face. Red, puffy, _soulless._ Ino starts tearing up and pulls her best friend into a hug. "Forehead. Killing yourself is not the answer! Do you have any idea how terrified I was when I came in to visit you, only to find you in the bathroom unconscious?!"

"I'm sorry." It seems to be the only thing she's been saying lately. Sakura relaxes in Ino's arms. Her hug is comforting. So comforting. At her words, Ino holds Sakura out, at arms-length.

"No, you don't have to apologize to me, forehead, I'm your best friend, right?" Sakura nods, almost dumbly. "You never have to apologize to me, you know that!"

"I'm s- yeah, I know."

"Well," Ino lets go of Sakura. She is now sitting on the side of Sakura's bed rather comfortably, "How are you?" Sakura looks down, fiddling with her fingers slightly. Ino grabs onto Sakura's hands, right where her fingers were fiddling. "Answer me, Sakura. I know you can."

Sakura looks up at Ino, surprised. Leave it to her blonde-loudmouth-best-friend to be so blunt with a mentally ill patient. "I…"

"You're Sakura. You can get through this. I'm sure that fivehead of yours can help you get through it immensely fast," Ino pauses, "And besides, I need my best friend."

The corners of Sakura's lips lift again. This time, more genuine. Not forced at all. "Thank you."

"Girl, you don't need to thank me either! It makes me feel like such a stranger."

Sakura doesn't respond and simply looks down at where Ino is holding her hands, the almost-smile evident on her face. "I know…"

"Good. Now, you better tell me when you're ready to talk more."

"I will."

"Great. Until then, I'm camping out in your hospital room." She pulls out a duffel bag from the ground and lets it thump softly on Sakura's lap as she drops it. "I brought you some magazines and other girly stuff. Do I hear a slumber part-aaaaaaaay?"

The smile on Sakura's face doesn't go away. "Great."

"Good, now that you understand, scoot over. I didn't have enough room to put in a sleeping bag and there is no way in hell you're making me sleep on the ground."

"Okay." Sakura scoots over a little on her bed. It is a small bed, but in no way too small for two girls, especially since Sakura doesn't take up much space. Ino slides into the bed next to Sakura, pulling the blanket over herself as well.

"So which do you want to read first?" Sakura keeps the smile on her face as Ino pulls out random magazines and shows the covers to Sakura.

Ino isn't giving her The Look. Instead, Ino looks at her like Sakura has never changed, even though she knows that Ino noticed the changes. They are so evident, after all. Sakura finds herself at ease. Maybe it's because Ino is her childhood best friend. Maybe because she isn't a male. Or maybe…it's because she isn't looking at her like she's a broken doll that's just waiting to be fixed, and until then, isn't playable.

Ino, unlike the others, has faith. The others, sure, they are giving her patience. They are waiting. They are giving her space. But maybe, that's not what she needs. She needs to be coddled right now. She needs to be treated normally, even. She needs someone warm. Someone flexible enough to be able to take her mood swings. Though Ino is blunt, she knows when to stop. She is patient. She is just what Sakura needs right now.

Ino had said that she needs her best friend. Sakura has pinpointed her need.

She needs to feel needed. Like her torture in confinement wasn't for naught. Like she made the correct decision to live. To not kill herself. Sakura glances at Ino through the corner of her eyes. Ino looks genuinely happy. Who knows what she'd be like if Sakura tried to kill herself?

After the first time, a second time is either easier or a lot harder.

Either way, Sakura would rather go through torture again than put Ino through the torture of losing her again.

She had thought that the one she needed was Itachi, after all, throughout her lock-down, she had always envisioned Itachi to be the one to protect her. She loves him, after all. Just like how she needed Sasuke years ago, she thought she needed Itachi this time.

She was wrong.

All that she needs is right here.

Her eternal rival.

Her best friend.

Sakura's lips form into a bigger smile, but Ino is too busy reading a magazine article on hair care out loud to notice that the rosette isn't even paying attention.

X

"I'm surprised you're back," says Hana. She is sitting next to Itachi, as usual. "What happened? I heard Sakura woke up?" Itachi hesitantly nods.

"Aa."

"Why aren't you by her side?"

"Hm."

"If you don't tell me, I can't help you."

"I don't know."

"Even Uchiha Itachi has moments where he doesn't know…wow."

"It's been happening a lot lately."

"Well, since you're not going to tell me the reason behind all of this sadness and shit going around you, I'll enlighten you with my horrible stories instead."

"Your parents are still trying to get you married off?"

"Yeah. Recently they picked some guy from the Aburame clan. He's a year older."

"Shisui was two years older."

"That's not the issue here. I don't have an issue with age differences."

"Then marry an old man if he'll be better."

"Stop it, Itachi. I'm being totally serious."

"Aa."

"So…I was wondering…"

"Hm?" Itachi's mind isn't really on his deceased best friend's almost-girlfriend. Instead, it is on his own almost-girlfriend. He should be there for her right now, right? His heart is screaming at him to go to her and be with her right now, but his mind and body are stopping him.

"My parents have been asking about my relationship with you…"

"Aa," he answers absentmindedly, only half registering Hana's words.

"And…I accidentally told them that we were going out." At this, Itachi whirls around and looks at her, surprise written all over his face. "Yeah, I know, I know. I'm sorry. I just… I don't think I'm ready to get married."

Itachi's face loosens. His emotionless mask taking over again. "Don't be sorry."

"So…I was wondering…"

"Hm?"

"I would like you to pretend to be my boyfriend…" When Itachi doesn't respond immediately, Hana continues. "You don't have to accept. I'll totally understand if you don't. Sakura just came back and all. You have to be there for her, right?"

Shisui's smiling face pops into his mind. He would want Hana to be happy, and if he doesn't help her with this, there may be no chance of happiness for her. Itachi nods. "I'll help you."

"W-What? But what about-"

"I can't help her right now even if I tried."

"Why not?"

"You asked for my help. I agreed." He doesn't want to talk about it. Well, Hana is no stranger. If he really knew how to say everything about how he feels, he would. He would never hide anything from Hana intentionally. Not after all he put her through.

"Well, thank you then."

"Aa."

"Dinner is at 8."

"I understand."

"See you later then?" She turns away from him, hiding her blush.

"Aa."

And so, life goes on.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 10

"Big news, big news!" yells a voice.

Sakura stirs in the bed. Ino is unmoving next to her. _Girl sleeps like a dead cow_. Strange, considering her name means pig. _Sleeping pig works too_, Sakura figures. Sakura gets up a little. It is too early for this. Which stupid bastard has a death wish? Ino had forced her to stay up with her and watch a western film called _10 Things I Hate About You_ last night. Good movie, by the way. But still, might have been better if she hadn't watched it half-asleep.

Sakura slowly gets out of bed. It has been two weeks. She has been sleeping in Ino's apartment lately, since most of her stuff is here anyways. Apparently, Karin had helped her pack all her stuff up from her parents' home. The pain of her empty room was just too much, so they asked Tsunade to send someone. Her parents then moved out.

Someone else's family now lives in the home she grew up in.

Things have changed so much.

Sakura looks outside the window. Ino actually lives in a really nice building. It gives a great view of the village since it is built on a hill. She sees the little messenger guy downstairs, meters away. _Dang, his voice carries._

"Big news, big news!" he yells again.

He must be using a vocal jutsu or something, if there's such a thing. Man, she has to catch up on her reading. Two years must have done wonders on the jutsu creations. Konoha should have a compilation somewhere...

"-Engaged!" he yells. What did he just say? She looks down at him again, trying to focus on his screaming voice. Did he just say-

"Uchiha Itachi and Inuzuka Hana are engaged!"

Apparently he did. Sakura's eyes widen. Her legs give out beneath her. She lands on the floor less than gracefully. She then feels a very familiar feeling. Jealousy? Disgust? Confusion? Maybe all of them. She can't really tell. Springing up on her legs when she feels bile rising in her throat, she rushes to Ino's bathroom. She leans over the toilet, upchucking everything she ate yesterday.

Just when she thought she was recovering too.

"Forehead?" asks Ino, rubbing her eyes of her sleep.

Ino's up. She looks into the bathroom. Sakura's brilliant best friend suddenly gains complete awareness when she realizes what the rosette is doing. She rushes over and pats Sakura's back.

"What's wrong? Did you eat something bad?"

"He's-" Sakura pauses, recovering from the saltiness in her mouth. "He's-" Her throat feels like it's constricting, courtesy of the puke. "He's engaged, Ino." Sakura's eyes suddenly fill with tears.

"Who? Who's engaged?" asks Ino, confused.

"Itachi," says Sakura. Ino's eyes widen. Sure, she had known something was going on between the two, but she never got clarification. Sakura has refrained from talking about anything that happened in the past two years. The two tend to just talk about current events or past events prior to two years ago.

"Let's go," says Ino. "We're going to go find him."

This is why Sakura loves Ino. She's curious but she won't push you. She's blunt but to a degree that she knows Sakura is comfortable with. She's tough and she'll stick up for you no matter what.

"N-No."

"Why not?" Ino places her hands on her hips. "You're _crying_ over him. You're _puking_ over this! You deserve an explanation!"

"I don't…I d-don't want to see him."

"Saks, you're getting better. A lot better. You've been doing so well. This may push you back. I think you need an explanation. Hell, that man, sexy as he is, owes you an explanation. Look, I don't need to know the whole story behind you two, but if your tears and my toilet are any indication, I think that this is not just one-sided." Sakura looks up at Ino, surprised at the girl. "You never puked over Sasuke."

"I don't want to see him, Ino." Her voice is still tight.

Ino walks over to her sink and pulls out a cup. She fills it with water and hands it to Sakura. "Here," she says as she wraps Sakura's hands around the cup. "You'll have to see him eventually, you know? The sooner you see him, the easier and faster it'll be for you to move on."

"I…I don't want to move on…"

"Sakura, he's engaged now. He's not worth your time. Not anymore."

"I know." Fresh tears start falling.

Ino cups Sakura's face and wipes away the tears. "Drink." Sakura does as told. "He doesn't deserve your tears. He much less deserves your love."

"I survived on him, Ino."

"I know," says Ino, "Naruto told me. I just didn't believe him until now."

"Yeah, it is sort of hard to believe." Sakura's lips tilt slightly upwards as she stares into the water.

"See, you can do fine without him. You can do fine as long as you have me."

"Than-" Ino shoots her a look. "I mean, you're awesome, Ino-pig."

"I know." Ino flips her hair over her shoulder. "Now, brush your teeth. We don't need your teeth decaying on us because of the Uchiha." Sakura giggles lightly.

Seriously, she is so grateful that she has Ino. It is still strange for her to be with Naruto, Sasuke, Sai and Kakashi, but she's getting there. Ino said that she has made dramatic improvement over the past two weeks. She has been talking much more, smiling, laughing even. She hasn't even seen Itachi, much less talked to him. Thinking back, as she brushes her teeth, why did she think of him during her confinement? Simply because she was in love with him? But there was always Ino, Naruto, Sasuke, Sai, Kakashi, Tsunade and her parents to think of…

So why?

She spits out the toothpaste in her mouth and continues brushing. She must have been staring at her reflection pretty intensely because Ino nudges her from besides her. She is brushing her teeth as well.

"What're you thinking of?" asks Ino.

"Nothing," says Sakura. Ino nods, knowing not to push her on this. After all, Ino knows that Sakura was raped. She would not try and make Sakura remember those events. Sakura is getting better, and since Ino is with her 24/7, she knows that Sakura is not just holding back and keeping her feelings bottled up.

"Alright," says Ino. It still hurts though, the fact that your best friend is hiding stuff. Sakura sees the expression on Ino's face and grabs her arm with her free hand, encouragingly.

"I'll tell you when I'm ready. You'll be the first one I tell, Pig," says Sakura through the brush and toothpaste in her mouth. Ino spits out the toothpaste in her mouth and rinses her mouth clean.

She stands up straight. "Don't talk with your mouth full of toothpaste," she scolds. "It's not ladylike." Sakura bends over and spits out the rest of the toothpaste in her mouth. She then rinses it out with water. She stands up straight and cleans her toothbrush. Ino is doing the same.

"Like we've ever cared about femininity," says Sakura. Ino laughs gently.

"True that," says Ino.

"So what're we doing today?" asks Sakura.

"It's a bit too early to do anything, don't you think?"

"A tad bit."

"We could just go for a stroll. A jog maybe? Work out, you know? It's been a while since you've done so, I bet." Sakura scowls a little.

"Is that a hidden insult?"

"Girl, you know you're too skinny right now. I feel threatened by standing next to you."

"True."

"We need to stuff 10 bowls of ramen down your throat. I'm sure Naruto would be more than eager to treat you. Kakashi-sensei too. Or even Iruka-sensei."

"…I don't know, Ino." Sakura looks down. The two of them step out of the bathroom and into Ino's kitchen. Ino opens the fridge and takes out a carton of orange juice as Sakura pulls out two wine glasses from a cabinet.

"Sakura, the longer you take to get used to them, the more hurt they're going to be and the more you have to suffer through their _looks_." She pours the contents in the carton into the glasses.

"I know… I just…" Ino closes the carton and puts it back in the fridge. Sakura takes her glass and as Ino walks back, Sakura hands Ino hers.

"You can't avoid men forever, Saks." The two of them walk to the dining room, sitting down in front of each other, comfortably.

"Why not?"

"You're not planning on letting Danzo's family line die with you, are you?"

Oh crap, she had almost forgotten all about her family history. Sakura hesitantly shakes her head. Ino continues. "Then I'm assuming you're going to get married one day. Most likely to a guy."

"Can't I just marry you, Ino?" asks Sakura, jokingly.

"You wish you could have me," says Ino, flipping her hair again, jokingly.

The two laughed simultaneously. "Seriously though, any homosexual tendencies? Nothing wrong with it if you do." Sakura shakes her head.

"If I did, I would have molested you in your sleep already, Pig."

"Is that your way of complimenting me?"

"Do you really need anyone to compliment you?"

"True." Sakura takes a sip from her orange juice. Ino follows and does the same.

"So what're we doing today?"

"Depends, do you really want to go stalk the Uchiha bastard?"

"I really don't want to see him yet."

"I understand. Tomorrow, then!"

"Ino, that's too soon."

"You told me that I have to push you. That's what I'm doing right now."

"I don't…I don't…" Sakura shakes her head.

"You're scared of the reason, right?"

"A little."

"The sooner you ask, the faster you get your response." Ino shrugs. "It could be an engagement out of convenience. I heard from Kiba that their family has been trying to get Hana married for a while now."

"I don't know. He isn't the type to do something like that for someone."

"Depends if those _someones_ include Inuzuka Hana."

Sakura looks down at her drink. Ino is right. She is scared of the response. What if he really does love Hana? They are the same age, after all. They've probably known each other long before Sakura even met him. Maybe they have a past together. Maybe they have a future together. Who knows? No one knows much about the Uchiha. Hana also doesn't always tell Kiba everything. They are close, but usually Hana just gives Kiba advice on girls.

"By the look on your face, I can tell that you really want to know why."

"I changed my mind. I'll go talk to him today."

"I'll walk you there."

"Okay," says Sakura, placing a smile on her face.

"You're smiling more and more often now, Fivehead."

"I know." She pauses. "So when is Shikamaru going to ask you out?"

Ino freezes. "W-What?" She sputters? Yamanaka Ino…THE Yamanaka Ino…_stutters_?

"Come on, Ino, I've only been gone for two years, I'm not _blind._"

"T-That's not…"

"I'm not stupid," sings Sakura. "Ino and Shika sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G-"

"I almost miss the days that you were silent." Sakura giggles.

"Blame yourself."

"I won't blame myself for being there for you," says Ino, smiling.

See? Isn't her best friend just amazing?

"I know you said that I don't have to thank you or whatever, but seriously, _thank you, _Ino." Sakura reaches over the table and pulls her best friend into a brief hug.

"Anytime. I'll be there for you through thick and thin."

"You're more than I could ever ask for."

"Okay, now you're borderline creepy-cheesy."

"Fine."

"Well, are we going to go for a jog?"

"Of course."

"Alright." Ino stands up. Sakura does the same. Ino takes both of their glasses and puts them in the sink, to be washed later. Sakura smiles and walks towards the room where she knows her stuff is. Ino goes into her own room.

This should be fun, right? It's been a while since she has had to do any physical activity.

X

Sakura has her waist-length pink hair tied up into a high ponytail – Ino's signature, the blonde has bitterly pointed out. The blonde, on the other hand, has her hair in a tight French braid behind her head.

And across from them stands Uchiha Itachi and his new fiancée, having decided to go for an early morning stroll. Hana's eyes flicker worriedly between Sakura and Itachi. Sakura is staring at Itachi intensely, as is Ino, trying to sum him up the way only best friends can. Itachi, however, is trying his best not to stare at the ground. He doesn't look at Sakura.

"Hey, Ino, Sakura," says Hana. "Glad to see you're feeling better."

_Feeling better my ass, _Sakura says. As soon as the thought appears, she feels guilty. This is Kiba's sister. Ino's good friend. "Thank you." Sakura bows slightly and smiles a little. Ino gives Sakura an almost undetectable nudge. Sakura looks at her. She is looking at Itachi. _Oh_. "Can I talk to you alone, Uchiha-san?"

Itachi almost breaks his neck turning to look at Sakura. Just kidding. The man shows no feelings. Ino almost smiles triumphantly. She looks a bit silly trying to hide her smile. Calling him Uchiha-san was a good touch. Hana gives Itachi a worried look. Itachi ignores her and nods briefly. "Aa."

Sakura nods. She then turns and walks away from Ino and Hana. Itachi follows behind her. After putting a good distance between them and the other two women, Sakura turns and looks at Itachi.

"So?" Her hands aren't on her hips. A sign that she isn't as comfortable as he originally thought.

"Hm." He still can't look at her.

"That's all you have to say?"

"What do you want?" His voice sounds harsher than she remembers. She winces a little.

"Never mind. I just got my answer." She starts walking away from him. He grabs her arm.

"Wait, Sakura."

"Then explain."

"I can't."

"Goodbye, Uchiha-san." She shrugs his hand off of her and turns back around, bowing slightly at him. After all, he is five years her senior, one of the only living members of the Uchiha clan, a respected hero of Konoha and her own teammates older brother. She then turns back around and walks to Ino. Itachi watches, stuck in place, as Sakura bows slightly to Hana. She then says something.

"I wish you two the best in your marriage." Sakura isn't upset, rather, she's angry.

Itachi feels a pang hit his heart. It seems to be all that he feels lately. He stares as Sakura and her blonde friend jog away from them. He feels a slight panic as he watches Sakura's retreating back. Hana watches as well. After the two best friends are out of sight, she turns back to Itachi, shooting him a curious look.

"What happened?"

Itachi ignores her and walks past her. The way he is carrying himself tells her everything.

"Itachi, wait!" She chases after him. "Go get her and explain!"

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"She's happy right now. I won't ruin that for her."

"She could be _happier _with you!"

"The village thinks I'm engaged to you."

"_So_? We could always just fake breakup!"

"Then you'll be forced into a marriage you don't want and your family will no doubt start talking about Sakura." Hana shakes her head.

"Kiba and I won't let that happen."

"It will happen," says Itachi, thinking back to his own clan. Something prickles at his heart again.

"If you don't go find her, _I _will!"

"Hm." He continues walking.

"Don't you think it'd be better if she heard it from you though?"

"Then don't do it."

"You're suffering because of this favor that you're doing for me. I can't let this happen. Will you be okay if she moves on? If she starts dating someone else? If she _forgets_ about you? She's very weak right now. If any male is there for her, she might fall for them!"

Did his shoulders just slump a little? Hana sighs when she realizes that Itachi isn't going to respond. "I'm taking you to go talk to her." She grabs his arm.

"Stop." His voice is cold. Not emotionless. Cold. Hana tenses. "I need to be alone right now."

Hana hesitantly lets go of his arm.

"Don't go looking for her," he says. With that, he disappears.

X

She is having a nightmare again.

Her brows are knitted together and raised in fear. Beads of sweat are forming on her forehead. She is biting her lower lip, whimpering softly, and clawing at her own arms. Thankfully, her nails are short.

He looks to the girl slumbering next to Sakura, completely unaware, completely asleep. Like always, no one will find out that he is here. He sits down on the ground next to the bed and takes one of her hands in his. With his other hand, he reaches out for her forehead. Stroking her forehead gently, he watches as she slowly calms down. Her jagged breathing gradually reduces to regular, soft breaths.

Also like always, he stays a bit longer than needed, simply stoking her hair. Watching her. Making sure she's okay. Making sure she's out of danger's way. He usually stays until morning, disappearing quickly when she tenses slightly, telling him she's awaking.

He will defend her when she can't do it herself. He will protect her until _he_ can't – until she or her best friend wake up. He will protect her without her knowing because he knows he isn't right for her right now. He will make sure nothing happens to her, because she saved his life. Because she means a lot to him. Because he already lost her once and he'd rather not lose her again.

Because, even though they aren't together, he'd rather have her alive and in the same world as him.

His hand leaves her forehead and he brings it back to himself. His other hand, however, still rests on hers, his thumb rubbing in circles on the back of her hand.

Most of all, he'll protect her because she's the reason he _lives_.

Of course, he'd never tell anyone. Not even her.

He sees a familiar light rising through the window. The sun's coming up. He'll have to part with her again soon. He continues to stare at her peaceful features. He pulls the blankets upwards to tuck her in. He then leans forward and places a small, gentle kiss on her forehead.

Then, like the wind, there one second, absent the next, Itachi is gone.

X

"There is no way they are going to let her go."

Tsunade looks at the man in front of her. Uchiha Itachi.

"No one can find him, Uchiha."

"So basically we're all vulnerable until they show up and take her?!" Someone else.

Tsunade flicks her eyes to Naruto.

This has to be the hundredth time they've talked about this in the past month.

"You need to send a team," says Sasuke.

"It's not that easy," says Tsunade.

"Why not? You're Hokage!" says Naruto.

"There are lots of politics involved," explains Tsunade, "I can't just-"

"Baa-chan, the longer you wait, the more Sakura is in danger!"

"I _know_." Naruto is about to interrupt her. "Don't you dare interrupt me again, Uzumaki!" He shuts up. "I can't just send a team to their death like that!"

"Then send me," says Itachi.

"Uchiha, if I'm not mistaken, you are now _involved_ with Inuzuka Hana. I cannot do that. Besides, I did not cure you so that you can go and get yourself killed."

"Then me," argues Sasuke.

"Sakura will realize if you are missing again."

"Then let her realize."

"You might die. She'll never forgive herself if you do." Sasuke looks away. The woman is right. "Now get out, you're all giving me a headache." The three hesitantly left the room.

"I'm going to go see Sakura-chan," says Naruto.

"I'm going with you," says Sasuke. He turns and looks at his brother. Itachi's not looking at him. Instead, he is looking a few feet in front of him, on the floor, as if contemplating something. "Are you coming, aniki?"

"No." Sasuke looks at his brother worriedly. He hasn't seen Sakura in the past two weeks. He knows how much Itachi cares for her. What is stopping him from seeing her? His engagement with the Inuzuka? That thing is just fake, obviously. He doesn't know how anyone could believe that it is real.

"Okay." The two eighteen year olds part with Itachi.

Itachi turns and walks towards the compound. He stops in his steps when he spots familiar hair. Pink. How is it that Sasuke and Naruto went the opposite direction to find her, yet he is the one that finds her? She is chatting rather animatedly with someone. A guy. Itachi recognizes him as Sai, an ANBU and the newest addition to Sasuke's and Naruto's team. He was one of the ones who came to fetch him when they found Sakura a month ago.

They are walking towards him.

He wants to turn and walk away. Hide, even, before she sees him.

But, instead, he stays in his spot, staring at the rosette in front of him. The fact that she hasn't noticed him yet strangely irks him. The fact that she is showing true happiness while walking with another man also annoys him to no end. The fact that Sakura and Sai are walking a few feet apart doesn't even register to him. Itachi's eyes unconsciously narrow as he stares at the two.

Then, Sakura looks forward and sees him.

Instead of the smile she always used to show when she saw him, she turns away, looking at Sai again. Sai doesn't seem to notice Itachi at all.

The two pass him with barely any acknowledgement.

Sakura had bowed slightly out of reverence. That was it. Itachi closes his eyes, trying to block out the emotions. He brought this on himself, after all. After composing himself, he continues walking to the Uchiha compound.

He doesn't turn around, afraid to see her walk away again; however, because of his fear, he doesn't see her turn around and almost call out his name.

She catches up with Sai. "Tell me more about him, please."

"Okay." She had been asking about her grandfather. Sai, after all, is one of the ones that knew Danzo on a more personal level. Danzo's presence in Sai's life was great. He had trained him, helped Sai shape into who he is today. Though, Sai was completely emotionally inept when she first met him, she knows that he has and always had a big heart, even if he wasn't always able to communicate it properly.

Sakura is really enjoying the stories Sai has about Danzo. He had said that he wasn't sure whether or not to be happy when he was told that Danzo had been killed. Danzo was almost like a dad to him, after all. And though Danzo contributed a lot to the reason why Sai wasn't always acceptably appropriate in his social skills, the man cared in his own way. Sai knew he was one of Danzo's most important people and Danzo cared about him more than he did some other people. Was it because he saw his grandchild in him? Maybe, maybe not.

After Ino had reminded her a few weeks ago that she had to continue the bloodline, she remembered her grandfather, and since has tried to figure out more and more about the man. Now, after talking to many ROOT members and old, _old_ friends of his, she almost feels like she knew him personally.

She feels happier, knowing her grandfather better. Knowing him as more than a coldblooded borderline-psychopath. He was a trainer, a role model, an important figure, a brother to some, a father to some. He wasn't as terrible as everyone made him out to be – a twisted man in his belief that Konoha would be safer under him.

She smiles a little, listening on Sai's story on how Danzo had once given the boy candy when he was 10. Sai says that he always thought that Danzo would have thought of candy as a weakness simply for being sweet. He, however, thought no such thing, thinking of it as a reward in life. He gave Sai the candy as a reward for passing the Chunin exams.

"He really wasn't that bad, Ugly."

"I know." She smiles a little more. Sai sees the look on her face and joins her. The two walk in comfortable silence with reminiscent and grateful smiles on their faces. He walks her back to Ino's apartment, where the other two teammates are waiting.

"Sai! If you were going to hog Sakura for the day you should have told us!" yells Naruto, pointing at the boy accusingly.

"She wanted to talk in private," says Sai, shrugging.

"Well you still should have said something! We would have sabotaged it!" Naruto argues.

"She wanted to talk in private," Sai repeats.

"We could have come along!" Naruto yells.

"Please learn the meaning of private," Sai says.

"Why you-!" Before he could say anymore, something – or more like _someone_ – tackles him in a tight embrace. He looks down and only sees pink. He looks back at the other two teammates. They are as surprised as he is. This is the first time Sakura has hugged any male since she got back. The girl didn't even hug her own father. "Eh, Sakura-chan…" He scratches the back of his neck, his well-known habit.

"Thank you," she whispers. She then half-releases him, one arm still around Naruto. She turns and looks at her other two teammates. "Come here, you idiots." Sai slowly walks closer and Sakura wraps her free arm around him. He hesitantly does it back to her. They all look expectantly at Sasuke. He sighs and gets up from his seat, walking over to them as well. Naruto wraps one arm around Sakura and one arm around Sasuke. Sasuke wraps one arm around Naruto's shoulders and lets his other arm just lay on Sai's. Sai does the same with him. The two ice cubes are not quite used to each other yet. Sakura lets a huge smile fall on her face.

"Team 7. United at last," Naruto says, a smile mirroring Sakura's on his face. Sai smiles as well. A genuine smile. Even Sasuke has a smile on his face, though small, it is _real_. No one knows how much he missed his loud-mouth and annoying teammates when he was gone. They were his family when he thought he had none, yet he left them. But, like family, they always forgive him.

"Thank you guys," says Sakura, "For being here for me."

"That is what teammates are for, right?" asks Sai. His face is emotionless, as almost always. Sakura and Naruto smile. Sasuke simply smirks.

"Yes, yes it is," says Naruto. He lets go of Sasuke and Sakura and tackles Sai with a noogie. As the two of them fool around, Sakura stands next to Sasuke.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun," she says. He looks at her, an eyebrow raised. "For trying to kill you."

"It's fine," he says. "You couldn't do it."

She looks at the ground, a rueful smile appearing on her face. "Thank you."

"I owe you an apology too." Sakura looks at him, confused. "For everything."

Images from all the times Sasuke almost killed her appear in her mind. All the times she cried over him. All the times that she and Naruto hurt over him. But, most of all, the memory that lasted the longest, was the memory of the day Sakura caught him leaving Konoha.

"No," she says, smiling, "You came back. It makes up for everything."

"I sometimes wish that I never left. So many things have changed." He looks guilty, but unemotional regardless. Sakura wraps one arm around Sasuke. He looks at her, surprised.

"You've done well," she says. "You came back, that's all that matters." She flashes her smile at him. Sasuke feels his lips tugging upwards again.

"You too. I'm glad you didn't die on us." She nods.

"I'm glad too." Totally out of character, Sasuke pats the top of her head gently.

"Hey, hey, break it up!" Naruto yells. Sai chuckles softly and Sasuke lets a smirk grace his features.

And, like music to their ears, Sakura lets out a laugh similar to the ones she used to let others listen to hundreds of times a day. It is the first time she has laughed around them since forever.

_She is better now_.

X

"Everything is going according to plan," says a dark figure with serpentine eyes.

"Good." Another dark figure with sharingan eyes instead of serpentine. "Lay low until it is done."

"Understood," says another voice. The figure has bright green eyes.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 11

Naruto walks through Konoha.

It is a beautiful day.

Beautiful sky moving above him.

Beautiful sun shining on him.

Beautiful _people_ around him.

He walks with an extra skip in his steps.

Everything is right in the world.

Everything except the scene in front of him. Naruto skids to a stop. The smile on his face drops. His jaw drops to the ground as well. His eyes are the size of plates.

What are two of his oldest teammates doing eating at Ichiraku with his on-again-off-again teammate's newer ex-teammates?! How dare they go out to eat without him!

Sakura is seated between Sasuke and Suigetsu. Juugo and Karin sit across from them. Karin looks a bit jealous, but she seems fine. After all, Ino had told Karin everything about Sakura and if Ino loves Karin and Ino loves Sakura, the two are definitely bound to be close friends sooner or later.

Naruto immediately turns around to go find the other missing teammate. A few minutes later, he returns with his socially awkward teammate. He also found his perverted team captain and creepy co-captain.

"What is it, Dickless, that you had to drag me out for this?"

"Such a beautiful day today…" says Kakashi.

"Must be something good," says Yamato.

Naruto places his index finger to his lips. He then points to Ichiraku's. Inside the store, seated on the table closest to the window, are the two other members of this team…with another team.

Yamato fake gasps. "Oh. How dare they!"

"I don't appreciate your sarcasm, Yamato-taichou," says Naruto. "They're eating without us!"

"Naruto, you have to realize that Sakura probably worked with them before. As a team," says Kakashi. "Well, I'm leaving." He turns around and leisurely walks away.

"As am I," says Yamato. He turns and walks away as well.

Naruto closes his eyes and sighs. They just don't understand. He looks up, however, when he realizes that Sai is still standing across from him. "I'm surprised you haven't left yet."

"To leave when someone isn't looking isn't very polite, or so I've read," says Sai. He then turns and walks a few steps. "If you're so bothered by the fact that they're eating without you, you might as well go inside and join them. You are friends with most of them, are you not?" He then walks away.

As if a light bulb suddenly lit up above his head, Naruto's lips form into a smile. He then enters Ichiraku's. He pushes Suigetsu off the seat and takes his seat. Suigetsu looks up at Naruto.

"Uzumaki!" Suigetsu glares as he stands up. He points an accusatory finger at him.

"My seat," says Naruto. Sakura looks at Naruto. He is pouting. She starts laughing.

"Dobe," mutters Sasuke.

Giving into Naruto, Suigetsu sighs as he takes the seat next to Juugo. Sakura moves his noodle bowl from in front of Naruto to Suigetsu's new area. Suigetsu nods a little in appreciation. He might have had feelings for the kunoichi before, but the feelings have since disappeared. Nowadays, he has his eyes on the quiet Hyuuga heiress – another reason Naruto gets on his nerves.

"So, Uzumaki, what brings you here?" asks Karin.

"My teammates are here," says Naruto.

"Your teammates came without you," Karin rubs in.

"Leave him alone, Karin," says Sasuke. It is now that Naruto notices Sasuke's arm stretched out behind Sakura, laying on the back of her chair comfortably.

"What is your arm doing there, Sasuke?" asks Naruto.

"It's been there for a while now," says Suigetsu, "Curious."

Sakura turns around, as if noticing his arm for the first time. She shrugs and continues playing with her food. Karin, surprisingly, isn't fuming. She isn't really looking at anyone at the table at all. Instead, she is looking up. Suigetsu as well. Hinata and her team just came in.

"Good afternoon," greets Kiba, smiling cheekily, his canine teeth baring. Did Karin just swoon? Naruto figures he must have seen wrongly. He then notices Hinata bowing respectfully at Team 7. Turning to Suigetsu, she blushes heavily and hides behind Shino. He must have looked quite murderous because gentle fingers enveloped around his wrist. Naruto looks to the side.

It is Sakura's hand.

She is worried.

Eyes softening, Naruto kicks Suigetsu under the table. Suigetsu howls in pain, surprising Team 8. Sasuke smirks in entertainment and Sakura lets go of Naruto's wrist, bringing her hand to her lips to cover her mouth as she laughs.

"We would join you guys, but it looks like you're about to be done here," says Kiba.

"We were planning on staying a while," says Karin, "Uzumaki just got here." Her voice sounds…sweeter? Naruto could almost gag. She stopped liking Sasuke for _Kiba_?! What? In a completely straight, heterosexual way, he _knows_ that Sasuke is attractive. Hell, all the girls lining up for him when they were younger and nowadays were proof enough that Sasuke was and still is attractive. For her to choose Kiba over Sasuke? Is the world coming to an end?

He looks from Kiba, whose team is pulling up another table to join their tables together, to Sasuke. Then, everything clicked. Karin didn't move on from Sasuke because she found someone better. It was because she realized she couldn't compete. The way Sasuke looks at Sakura says it all. Sure, he seems to have backed off a little since Itachi has feelings for her too, but now that Itachi is engaged…what is stopping him? Itachi is out of the way. Naruto is out of the way, having gotten over Sakura a while back. No one is stopping him. Whoever still has feelings for Sakura doesn't stand a chance against Sasuke, after all.

For the rest of the meal, Naruto notices how Sasuke glances at Sakura every once in a while, as if checking to see if she is uncomfortable in any way. To see if she needs space. Thinking back, Naruto realizes that Sasuke looks less lonely nowadays. He still looked lonely even when he came back to Konoha.

As if something was missing – _someone_ was missing.

It was Sakura.

It has always been Sakura for Sasuke.

He can't say the same about Sakura though. She hasn't looked at Sasuke the same way she used to for a long time now. She used to look at Sasuke with all the love in the world – like all the love needed to keep the world going was epitomized in one pink-haired-five-foot-three-girl. Now, all that love has been moved. Moved to his _brother_. Naruto couldn't even imagine all the hurt Sasuke is going through, watching her watch his brother. Naruto couldn't even imagine it. Sasuke had once had it, but he lost it. Naruto never had Sakura's affections – never the way he wanted them.

Then, a small giggle shakes him from his reverie. Hinata is laughing at a joke Suigetsu told. Realizing that he is going down the same road as Sasuke, Naruto stands up, startling everyone.

"Hinata-chan, can I talk to you?"

X

Sakura drops the parcel in her hands. Her eyes are wide from reading it. Ino walks into the room. She looks at her best friend. Rushing towards her worriedly, Ino checks Sakura for any bodily injuries.

"What's wrong, Sakura?" asks Ino, worry lacing her every word. She watches as Sakura's eyes slowly close and open, as if she is sinking from reality. "Sakura? Sakura!" At Ino's screeches, someone appears at the window.

"What's wrong?" he asks.

"Sasuke-k-kun," says Ino, "I-I don't know. I just came from the kitchen. S-She…-" Sasuke rushes forward and catches Sakura as she falls unconscious.

"I'm taking her to the Hokage," Sasuke says. He lifts the small girl up in his arms and then proceeds out the window. Ino, unsure of what to do, stands there, stunned. She looks down. On the ground is a parcel – an _invitation_.

_You are cordially invited to attend the engagement party of Uchiha Itachi and Inuzuka Hana._

Realizing the reason why Sakura is acting this way, she quickly picks up the parcel and rushes out of the window after Sasuke. She finds herself at the Hokage's office seconds later. Tsunade is checking up on Sakura. Sasuke is standing helplessly to the side. He doesn't even look up when Ino enters the room. Tsunade looks up briefly.

"Do you know what happened, Ino? Sasuke says you were with her when he showed up," says Tsunade.

"The invitations were sent out," says Ino. She picks up the parcel and holds it out in front of her, letting her audience read the bold letters. Sasuke looks surprised.

"I'm going to go find him," says Sasuke.

"Wait, Sasuke-kun," says Ino.

"I need to talk to him," Sasuke says firmly. Ino sighs. With a wave of her hand, she tells him 'fine, do what you want.' Sasuke then rushes out the window, his preferred form of entry lately.

"Do you believe this engagement is real, Ino?"

"I'm not sure. I don't know Itachi-san well enough."

"Well, you know Hana."

"From what I've gathered, they spend a lot of time together. She devotes a lot of time to caring for him."

"So they are friends. Close friends. Do you think they are more?"

"I don't know."

"Me neither. Anymore."

"Anymore?"

"At first, I thought they were faking it."

"Why?"

"Because I know Itachi felt something for Sakura. Something strong."

"You didn't tell her?"

"I didn't want to get involved."

"This affects _Sakura_. You _are_ involved."

"Exactly. I don't want the Inuzuka clan hating Sakura."

"Kiba wouldn't let that happen."

"Kiba is only an 18 year old boy. He's not the head of the clan."

"So? He will be. One day."

"Ino, I can't stop their engagement."

"Sakura's hurting, Tsunade-sama."

"I know. At first, I wanted to tell her that this engagement is fake…but I'm not so sure anymore."

"Why not?"

"I saw them kiss."

They both don't notice the tears fall out of Sakura's eyes. Her eyes are slightly open – her lashes blocking her eyes from full view. Before they can speak anymore, Sasuke arrives. He looks a little disturbed.

"What happened, Sasuke-kun?" asks Ino. Sasuke isn't looking at her, but rather, at Sakura's seemingly unconscious figure. He, however, realizes that she is awake. Without a word, he walks closer to Sakura. With one hand on her wrist, Sakura opens her eyes fully and looks at him.

"Sasuke-kun," she whispers.

"Hokage-sama, may I take her away for a little while?" Sasuke asks. Both Tsunade and Ino's eyes widen.

"W-What?" asks Tsunade.

"I'm asking your permission to take Sakura away for a few days," Sasuke reiterates.

"To where?" asks Tsunade, "I c-can't let you take her away without knowing where. She is still in danger."

"To Suna, preferably," says Sasuke. Sakura's eyes widen. After all she's done to Suna, he's going to bring her there? What is he thinking? She's going to get killed.

"Suna still isn't aware of Sakura's status," says Tsunade. "They'll kill her at sight."

"I won't let that happen," says Sasuke.

"You don't have much power there," says Tsunade.

"I won't let that happen," Sasuke repeats.

The two stare at each other.

A second passes.

Two seconds…

Five…

Thirty…

1 minute.

Tsunade sighs. "Fine. You may take her. But if anything happens to her, I will hold it against you, Uchiha." Ino stares at Tsunade in utmost surprise and outrage.

"Nothing will happen to her. She'll be completely safe with me."

"Okay." Sasuke lifts Sakura up bridal style and takes her out of the room.

"Tsunade-sama!" Ino screeches. "You can't just-"

"I just did, Ino."

"B-but-!"

"She'll be fine." Tsunade doesn't sound entirely sure.

"I'm going to find the other Uchiha and Hana," says Ino.

Tsunade doesn't stop her.

Ino finds Hana and Itachi in the park. It seems that the park is where the couple spends most of their time. Itachi spots Ino first. He nudges Hana slightly.

"Oh, Ino-chan! What brings you here?" Ino all but _stomps_ up to them.

"How could you?" Ino hisses. She is standing right in front of Itachi.

"Wait, wait, Ino-chan," says Hana. She pushes Ino back a little. "What are you talking about?"

"You asshole, how could you do that to her?!" Ino yells.

"Ino-chan, calm down!" says Hana. Ino isn't budging. She pulls Itachi back a little. "What did he do?"

"How could you invite her to your _engagement_ party?! Do you have no heart?" Ino yells. Itachi's eyes widen slightly. He turns and looks at Hana, whose eyes are wide as plates.

"Ino-chan, _I_ invited her. Not Itachi," Hana says.

"Why would you do something like that?! You _know_ how she feels about him!"

"Would you rather I didn't invite her and she found out by herself?!"

"I'd rather she have found out in a way that didn't make her unconscious!"

"Where is she?" asks Itachi.

"You are not going to go see her," says Ino, firmly. "The further you stay from her, the better!"

"Where is she?" It isn't much of a question.

"I don't know. Your brother took her." Itachi tenses up unnoticeably.

"Ino-chan, I-" says Hana. Her eyes are teary.

"_Don't_ talk to me right now," says Ino. She shoves the invitation into Hana's hands. "We are not attending your party tomorrow." She then turns and walks away. Hana covers her face with her hands as she cries.

"Itachi, I-I didn't mean to. I really didn't," she cries. Itachi places a hand on her shoulder.

"It's fine."

"But she…And Sasuke-"

Sasuke's interruption minutes ago must have affected her more than he thought it did.

_"Why?" Sasuke stands across from Itachi with just one question. _

_ "What do you mean?" asks Itachi._

_ "Why are you hurting her?" Sasuke's eyes narrow. _

_ "Who?"_

_ "Don't pretend with me. You know damn well who."_

_ "Sakura."_

_ "Yes, Sakura."_

_ "I would never hurt her intentionally."_

_ "Then why? Is it because of Inuzuka?"_

_ "Leave Hana out of this."_

_ "I'll leave her out of it when you leave Sakura out of it."_

_ "This is pointless. Leave, Sasuke." Sasuke scowls, but he leaves. Itachi looks to the side where Hana was seated, emotionless and clad in only a bathrobe. Itachi, on the other hand, is half naked. Sasuke had seen them. _

"It'll be fine."

"I don't want them to hate us."

"It'll be fine."

"O-Okay."

X

She is asleep.

Again.

She hasn't spoken much since they left Konoha and now they are at an inn between Suna and Konoha. Sasuke takes the blanket from his bed and wraps it around her. He brushes some hair out of her face and sits on his bed as he watches her. She looks so at peace.

If only she always looked so peaceful.

He doesn't know when, but he eventually falls asleep. When he wakes up, Sakura is already awake. A blanket is over him. His blanket. The one he put over her the night before. Hers is still wrapped around herself as she hugs her knees to her chest.

"Their engagement party is today. You're missing it," she says. She doesn't need to look at him to know he's awake. He nods.

"Aa."

"You're missing your only family member's engagement party because of me."

"You and Naruto are my family too."

He watches as a smile lights up her face, but it disappears as fast as it showed up.

"Why are you taking me to Suna? They're going to kill me."

"You tried your best not to kill their people."

"But I still killed."

"We're all shinobi. We've all killed."

"I killed senselessly."

"Like many others."

"I just want to know why you're bringing me to Suna."

"Because you deserve to be forgiven."

"No, I don't."

"It's the only way that you'll get better."

"I don't need to be _fixed_, Sasuke." She looks at him for the first time since he woke up. Her eyes are darker again – clouded over. "This is who I am now."

"Who? This depressed,_ barely living_ person? The Hokage won't even send you out on a mission. Ino can't stay by your side forever. Naruto either. We can only be by your side for so long before we're sent on missions. You need to get better. You need to find yourself again."

"And who is that? The _annoying _girl who was so deeply and frustratingly in love with you? Is all this for me or for you? You can't take the fact that I like your brother, am I right? Because if I stop loving him, you can have everything you used to have back!"

Sasuke pauses for a few seconds. He then stands up and walks out of the room, slamming the door behind him. After he leaves, Sakura buries her face in her hands. She hadn't meant to say all those things. She hadn't meant to hurt Sasuke. She hadn't meant to question his motives like a cynical lunatic.

Now she's alone again.

Like karma, visions of the past year flow back to her. Kabuto's incessant voice. His touches. His pulling. Sakura begins clawing at her own arms again. Thumping her legs up and down as if it would hurt Kabuto's memory. Screaming, as if it would keep him away.

"Get away from me!" she screeches. "Help! Help!"

No one comes. Like always. Like every time before this one.

_"I can make it all go away, Mana. Just do everything I say." Sakura shakes her head viciously. "If you change your mind, you know how to reach me."_

Madara's voice. It is a memory from when she was still held captive. From right before Naruto, Sasuke, Sai, Shikamaru and Neji found her. It wasn't just coincidence that caused Madara, Kabuto and everyone important from Sound to go missing right when they found her.

_He can make it go away._ Before she can lift her sleeve, a knock sounds on the door.

"Hello? I heard screaming. Is everything okay in there?" A civilian, no doubt.

"Everything's fine. Thank you!" Sakura says. Her voice sounds foreign to her. So _normal_. So…_fake._ She pauses and listens to the civilian's retreating steps. With confirmation that the civilian has left, Sakura continues to lift her sleeve. Everything seems to be going in slow motion. She prepares a little chakra in her finger. Ready to press it to her wrist. But, suddenly, the door opens. It isn't Sasuke.

"No way…" Realization hits her. Pink hair. Green eyes. "The bastard made a clone of me?!"

"Calm down."

"What? W-Why are you here?"

"Because if you call Madara here, you are going to die."

"How did you-"

"Because I know when you're feeling destructive. Kabuto made sure I would know when you go crazy. He needs you alive."

"The sick bastard wants me alive?! For what?"

"He says he misses you."

"Oh my god. Ew! Does he…Does he _touch _you?"

"No. He sees me as his daughter." She seems confused.

Sakura suppresses her need to gag. She looks at her clone. She's completely emotionless.

"You're…different from me."

"He didn't want a complete clone. Just a stronger one. More efficient, were his words."

"So…what are you doing here?"

"Kabuto told me to make sure you don't get yourself killed."

"So what are you doing here?!"

"You were about to call Madara. He sees no need for you anymore. What with my creation and all. He'd kill you. I'm supposed to prevent you from dying. Kabuto says he'll be back for you."

"Tell him to fuck himself."

"I can't do that. He's my master."

"Oh my god," Sakura buries her face in her hands. "So what are you still doing here?"

"Your reaction to me is very amusing." Why does this clone remind her of someone else?

"Leave!"

"Don't call Madara."

"Okay, just _leave_!" Her clone smirks and leaves. The thought of destroying her clone doesn't cross her mind at all. Sakura lets out a feral scream. Things are just falling to shit. And that shit keeps hitting the damned fan.

She gets up and picks up the lamp on the nightstand. She chucks it to the wall across from her, effectively destroying the lamp. She picks up her blanket and hurls it towards the window. She picks up her pillow and does the same. She continues her destructive spree for a few minutes more before she collapses on the floor next to her bed, her head laying on the bed and her arms sprawled out on the bed. She looks pathetic, but she doesn't care.

X

Sasuke walks to the door of the motel room. It has been two hours since he left for his walk. He tries to stick the key into the keyhole, only to find out that the door is unlocked. He gets a bad feeling in his gut. He walks in a little.

"Sakura?" He unsheathes Kusanagi after milliseconds of no response. Panic reaches him as he sees the disaster that is the motel room. After passing the small hall area that is the entrance to the room, he reaches the bed area of the room. He finally spots the pink-haired figure half on the ground and half on the bed. He drops Kusanagi and rushes to her side.

"Sakura?" With one hand on her shoulder and one hand on the back of her head, he lifts her upper body so he can examine her face. Her eyes are closed. She is asleep. And unharmed. He lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He wraps his arms around her shoulders and hugs her to him. He listens to her almost inaudible breathing. It tells him that she's alive. And that soothes him.

He isn't sure how long he sat there with Sakura in his arms, but he eventually gets up and lifts her onto his back. It's time to set out again. On the way to the door, he picks up Kusanagi and sheathes it. He then walks to the reception table and sees the civilian owner.

"You might want to see the state of the room first before charging me," says Sasuke. The confused civilian sends his nephew or somebody to see the room. A few seconds later, said underling comes back in shock.

"Everything's destroyed!"

And that is how Sasuke gave away most of the money he brought on this small travel.

X

"Sorry, Sasuke-kun," she whispers in his ear. When did she even wake up? "I can walk."

"No, it's fine."

"I didn't mean what I said."

"I know."

"Sorry."

"Aa."

"Sorry."

"Stop, Sakura."

"Okay." Sasuke feels as she hides her face a little behind his shoulder; however, as if an idea just hit her, she lifts her head a little again, so that he can hear her clearly. "You're not going to ask about what happened?"

"Would you tell me if I did?" She hides behind his shoulder again. "I thought so."

"Sorry," she mumbles.

"I know you, Sakura. You'll say something when you're ready."

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun." She pauses. "You're right. I need their forgiveness."

"It's not going to be easy."

"I know." Sasuke realizes that Sakura is shaking slightly. "I'm just cold, it's nothing."

"You're scared."

She pauses. "...They're going to kill me."

"I'm not going to let them do that."

She pauses again. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun. For everything."

He doesn't respond. Instead, a small smile finds its way to his face.

X

Naruto walks through the town, as usual. He spots Ino. He rushes up to her.

"Ino! I've been looking for you everywhere!"

"What is it?"

"Have you seen Sasuke?"

"He left with Sakura yesterday."

"What? Where? Why?"

"Uhhh…I don't know. I'm not sure…I think Suna. And I don't know why."

"He took her to _Suna_?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"Granny let him?"

"Yeah."

"What is he thinking? They're going to kill her!"

"Sasuke-kun said that he won't let that happen."

"What can he do to stop them from doing it to her? He is only a little better than her."

"Believe in him. He doesn't do unnecessary things and he definitely doesn't do things he knows he can't handle. Everything will be fine."

"You sound like you're trying to convince yourself."

"That's because I am still trying to convince myself."

"We're following them."

"What? Naruto, we can't."

"We are following them. I'm not losing my team again."

Ino sighs. "Fine. We're bringing Shikamaru and Sai though." The two start hopping on roofs towards the Hokage tower. "They'll be good."

"Sai's on a mission."

"Oh. Okay then."

After seconds, they bust in through the window.

"Baa-chan, I'm going to Suna!" says Naruto.

"It's not that we don't trust Sasuke-" Ino starts. She stops when she sees the older Uchiha in the room. He seems composed, but Hana has told Ino some of Itachi's tells. Itachi isn't happy.

"I'm going," he says, looking at Tsunade.

"No you're not," says Ino. "You have no _right_ to be around her right now. Besides, your _engagement party_ is today, if I'm not mistaken!"

"Stay out of this," says Itachi, glaring at her.

"I'm not going to stay out of this. Sakura is my best friend. All you do is hurt her," Ino says, not flinching at the stone cold glare. She stops herself from taking a step back when Itachi's onyx eyes bleed red.

"Uchiha!" says Tsunade, intervening. "Do anything to Ino and I will make sure you never even lay eyes on the outside world ever again." Itachi glares at her, then, his Sharingan disappears.

"I apologize," says Itachi, "That was completely out of character."

"Yes it was," says Tsunade. "Naruto, you are not going after Sasuke. He'll be fine. He agreed to send me letters over their progress. I understand his motive for bringing Sakura to Suna and I agree with him. I hadn't thought about the possibility of bringing her to Suna, but Sasuke has brought it to my attention that it is a great idea. A great _help _to Sakura. So leave it alone."

"Why?" asks Itachi.

"This has nothing to do with you," says Tsunade, "Since you are done with your business, you should leave." Itachi glowers at her. "Leave, Uchiha Itachi." Itachi bows and leaves.

"He's troublesome," says Ino.

"Yes, he is…only when it comes to Sakura. He's normally very obedient. Very loyal," says Tsunade, staring at the door Itachi exited through seconds ago.

"So why?" asks Naruto.

"Sasuke says that she needs to be healed at the place she hurt the most," says Tsunade, "After all, she did almost ruin our alliance with Suna."

"Sakura never had that much of an attachment to Suna though," says Ino.

"Suna ninja were Sakura's first murders," says Tsunade, "Sakura is kind. Even without her knowing, it is probably eating at her from the inside out. She values family. She knows deep inside that the ninja she killed have families. Those families probably hate her. She needs to be forgiven in order to move on."

"And Sasuke thought of all this himself?" asks Naruto.

"Yes," says Tsunade, "It surprised me to say the least."

"Ditto," says Ino. "I didn't expect him to think of something like that."

"He knows how it feels," says Naruto, "To be hated."

"Sorry, Naruto, I should have sent you with them," says Tsunade.

"No, it's fine," says Naruto, "I think…that they need to face this with each other. Only Sasuke can help Sakura here. After all, he already did it before."

"You were with him, though," says Ino.

"Doesn't matter," says Naruto, "He'll get through it…He'll get Sakura-chan through it."

"So I take it as you guys aren't going after them then?" asks Tsunade.

Ino looks to Naruto. It seems as if Naruto has figured it out. Naruto shakes his head. Tsunade nods, understandingly. "Okay. Then, I'm assigning you guys a mission."

"What? Us two?" asks Ino.

"Yes. I need you guys to watch over Uchiha Itachi," says Tsunade. "Make sure he doesn't go to Suna."

"Okay," says Naruto.

"Isn't it strange, Tsunade-sama?" asks Ino. "He's so…worked up."

"That's why I thought the engagement was fake," says Tsunade.

"Well, we'll get to the bottom of this," says Naruto. Ino nods in agreement.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 12

Onyx eyes stare at the ceiling above him. The owner is laying down. It is dark in the room.

It has been a week since he found out that his little brother took _her_ to the place she could possibly die.

How long has it been since he last heard her voice? Last seen her? Last _touched_ her?

He holds back a sigh.

Another sleepless night. How long has it been since he's had a good night's sleep?

_As long as it has been since Sakura hasn't been by his side._

His head turns to the right and looks at the figure sharing the bed with him. Hana. His best friend's girl. Correction. His dead best friend's _almost_ girl. The person closest to a best friend to him nowadays.

The dynamics of their relationship changed a while ago. Not just with him being her fake boyfriend. Her feelings for him had changed a while back. She wished to never fall for Itachi, but with the time they spent together, it was inevitable. She had confessed to him a while back too, but she had also understood that Sakura is probably the only female he'd ever have feelings for. He briefly wonders if he would be by Sakura's side even if Hana hadn't asked him to be her fake boyfriend/fiancée.

After all, he had left Sakura when she needed him most.

Even if Hana breaks off the engagement and whatever, would he be by Sakura's side then? Would she take him back? A vice-like grip takes over his lungs… or is it his heart? He's scared. He's scared that Sakura will not forgive him. He's scared that Sakura will move on. Even though he is the one who left her in the first place, he's borderline _terrified_ of the thought of her moving on.

After all, he never gave her a reason to stay attached to him. No guarantees. No hope. He left her when she needed him. He left her when she was at her weakest. _He_ left _her. _It would make sense if she moves on. He wouldn't blame her. The only one he can blame is himself.

Itachi gets up from the bed, making sure to not wake up Hana. What Sasuke saw the other day was just an accident. Hana had accidently fallen into the pond in the morning and Itachi tried to pull her back up, but as a joke, she had dragged him down. They simply were in the same room after showering.

He exits the bedroom and walks across the hallway to another door. Entering the kitchen, he brews himself some tea. Afterwards, he idly sits at the dining table next to the window. He stares out the window. The stars cannot be seen. Barely anything can be seen. His mind roams. Reminisces to his times with Sakura.

_"What're you reading?" she asks. Itachi doesn't have to look up to know that there is a smile on her face. The girl is always smiling. It's something that strikes him as weird. After all, she is a shinobi. How is it possible that she can keep being so darn _happy_ when she has seen death so often? _

_ "A book," he responds. _

_She scoffs. "I can see that."_

_ "Then why ask?"_

_ "I want to know which book. Any good? Is it interesting?"_

_ "Not really."_

_ "Then why can't you take your eyes off it?"_

_ "Nothing better to do."_

_ "Well, guess what I found?"_

_ "What?" _

_ "Look up and you'll see." Itachi looks up. He was right. She is smiling as usual. His heart skips a beat unwillingly. Realizing that he has been staring at her face for a little too long and she had actually wanted him to see what was in her hands, he tears his eyes away from her face and to her hands. _

_A shogi board. _

_ "I thought we could kill some time through this."_

_How many years has it been since he played?_

_ "Is that okay?" The smile on her face vanishes. She sounds caring. So _caring_. _

_How many years has it been since someone cared about him? Not over his death like Kisame sometimes did, but over something trivial such as if he would like to play shogi? He couldn't remember. Maybe it was when he was 12. Maybe it was even before that. After all, his mother cared for him, but mainly over whether or not he was alive by the time he was 12. Especially since she knew that Itachi already knew how to take care of himself._

_Itachi closes the book in his hands. "Let's play." He looks back up at her. _

_She is smiling again. _

_And it warms his frozen heart. _

Itachi wonders if that was the moment he fell for her. Or maybe it was even before then. It might have even started when he first met the girl. The sheer determination she harbored. She swore to heal him despite knowing that he would try to kill her. Thinking over it again, he isn't sure if there is just too much kindness in Sakura's heart or if there is just too much empty space in her brain.

He then is reminded of the first time they played shogi.

She beat him.

If anything, there is no empty space in her brain.

"Can't sleep?" Had he been so engrossed in his memories that he overlooked the fact that someone entered the room? He doesn't have to look up to know that it is Suigetsu.

"Aa." He pauses. "Tea?"

"I can get it myself."

"Hm." Suigetsu is pouring himself some tea.

"Let me guess, you're worried about Sasuke and Mana - I mean Sakura."

"Hm."

"She means a lot to you, doesn't she?" He takes a seat diagonally across the table from Itachi.

Itachi doesn't answer him.

"I used to like her. Sorta."

He still doesn't respond.

"You don't want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Okay."

The two sit in silence, both of them staring out the window, waiting for the sunrise. But while Suigetsu waits for morning so that he can continue chasing the Hyuuga heiress around, Itachi waits for morning, waits for night, and repeat. He waits for Sakura and Sasuke to return.

He waits so he can see Sakura again.

Even if she can't see him.

X

He all but jumps up. She's screaming, he registers as sleep is thrown out of his mind.

"Stop it!"

"Help!"

"Help me!"

"Someone help, _please!_"

He rushes towards her. "Sakura." Unsure of what to do, he wraps his arms around her and brings her to him, hugging her tight.

She is thrashing about.

"Sakura!"

"Stop it! _Stop!_"

"Sakura, wake up. You're safe."

"Don't touch me! Stop! Save me!" Sasuke lets go of her, and instead cups her face.

"Sakura!" He is louder.

Sakura's eyes snap open.

Tears are running down her face.

"Sasuke-kun…" Her voice is barely a whisper. He sighs in relief, lowering his forehead to hers. He closes his eyes. She stares up at him. The tear tracks on her face are still wet. The sweat on her head doesn't faze him at all.

"I'm sorry," she whispers.

"Is this the first time?" he asks. His voice is soft.

It takes her a few seconds to discern what he is asking. "No. It's not."

"How…many?"

"Only a handful."

"Have I ever been around?"

"There was a time when Ino found me, but when I woke up, you, Sai and Naruto were there. I was in the hospital…" Sasuke raises his head and opens his eyes. "And…that time I trashed the inn room."

"I remember."

"Oh."

"Do you know why…?"

"It's usually when I'm alone."

"I'm never leaving you alone again, then."

She doesn't answer him, evidently surprised.

"You're safe with me, you know that, right?" His voice is as aloof as ever, but she can see his emotions all over his face. She nods. A small smile appears on her face.

"Yes. I do. Sorry for scaring you."

He smirks a little. He reaches out a little and brushes her hair out of her face. Some of the hairs had stuck to her head due to the dampness. "Do you need anything right now?"

"No. I'm fine." He notices that her hands are still shaking a little. He takes her hands in his.

"Tell me if it's uncomfortable." Sakura nods a little. She doesn't respond to him, mainly because she feels very comfortable with him. It scares her. The fact that she's so comfortable around someone who isn't her bestbestbestbest_best_ friend or the current love of her life. Even if it is Sasuke, it is still frightening. What does this make her? Especially after being dumped by Itachi – but wait, they didn't even go out.

_Still. _

Going back to Sasuke or even thinking about it is not right.

This comfort, though? She isn't willing to give it up just yet.

She wants to be selfish.

Just this once.

"Thank you," she says.

A true smile shows on his face. He's as beautiful as ever. He's as _strong_ as ever – as protective as ever.

Is it so wrong to want him to be by her side?

Is being selfish so wrong?

Sakura lets some fresh tears fall down her face as she pulls her hands out of Sasuke's and wraps her arms around him tightly. She feels, seconds later, as Sasuke's arms wrap around her, as if unsure.

Knowing that Sasuke isn't Kabuto…

Knowing that Sasuke wouldn't let anyone hurt her…

Knowing that he's _here_ for her…It means all the world to her.

It changes things.

She's being swayed.

Is that so wrong?

X

"Okay, it is finished," says Temari, leaning back and stretching like a cat.

"Here," says Gaara, holding out the document towards Sasuke. Sasuke takes it and looks over the contents. Sakura is next to him. She leans over a little besides him so that she can see it. Sasuke considerately places it lower and a little closer to her so that she can read it better.

_Haruno Sakura has been sentenced serve a minimum of five years with her chakra suppressed, but not sealed for healing purposes, by agreement of the villages she has harmed. She also has to complete 5000 hours of community service for whomever asks for it. However, with the pardon of some of the shinobi families involved, namely the Tairyo clan, whose son was one of the shinobi killed, along with the fact that she has done a great deal of help towards Sunagakure prior to the injustices she committed, her hours will be nullified. _

_Sabaku no Gaara _

_Fifth Kazekage of Sunagakure_

Sakura looks up at the Kazekage and his family in surprise. They never said anything about the community service hours being nullified until now. Gaara has no expression. Temari, on the other hand, is smiling. It is warm. Sakura had expected them to be furious.

"Oh don't look so surprised, Sakura," says Temari, "It has been more than a year. Everyone's trying to move on. Having you serve time for it isn't going to bring anyone back. The harshest criticizer was the Tairyo family, but you saved their younger son, even without knowing that he was the younger son."

Sakura is speechless. Sasuke is smirking. Saving strangers' lives? Yeah, that sounds like Sakura.

"I-I…I don't know what to say," says Sakura.

"How about a thank you?" says Kankuro.

"Shut up, Kankuro, if anything, she wouldn't be thanking you," says Temari.

"Why not me?" asks Kankuro.

"Because she saved your life before. No thank you's necessary between you two," says Gaara. "Now, if you're done, you may leave. Take that with you to your Hokage."

"Understood," says Sakura.

"Also, please give this to Naruto," says Gaara. He holds out a scroll. Sakura nods and takes it. She knows well enough that Naruto and Gaara keep in touch. Normally the two send hawks, but since Sakura and Sasuke are here, why not? Sakura smiles a little, knowing that Naruto is well on his way to being Hokage.

"Thank you." She bows at a ninety degree angle – the epitome of respect.

And with that, Sasuke and Sakura finish their two week long escape. Sasuke was right. Going to Suna did help her a lot. The air around her feels cleaner. The weight on her shoulders is gone. The nagging feeling at the back of her mind disappeared. She feels better than she has in a long time.

Sasuke and Sakura fall in sync with each other as they walk back towards the rooms they were staying in. It is silent between them. Not an uncomfortable one. It's been a long two weeks. The days were always wrecked with nervousness and politics, but now, they are free.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun."

"Hm?"

"For going through with this with me. For coming up with this. For helping me. For being here for me. The list goes on. You've been…just…great."

"You're welcome."

"If there's anything you want, you can just say so. I'll do anything you want."

"You have no chakra, remember? You can't do everything."

"Hey!"

"I'll tell you when I come up with something."

"Okay."

"I can't wait to get back."

_To see Itachi_? Sasuke doesn't dare to ask. It might hurt to hear the answer. "Naruto will be happy."

"Ino too." She lets out a small laugh. "Maybe we should have clearly told them where we were going."

"Gaara probably sent Naruto lots of messages."

"He probably swayed the votes too. I'll have to make it up to Naruto too."

"Just treat him to ramen."

"It's unhealthy for him."

A small smile graces his features.

"Even if you won't buy it for him, he'd buy it for himself. Make life easier for yourself."

"No. I'll think of something else."

A pause.

"What is the first thing you'll do when we get back?"

"I don't know yet. Probably go see Shishou, right?"

"After that, I mean."

Sakura knows what answer he is fishing for. It has been clear to her this past week that Sasuke doesn't like what she feels for Itachi. She isn't so sure why though. _I mean, I chased after him for years…he can't possibly like me, right?_

Sasuke takes his hand out of Sakura's. But wait, when did they start holding hands?

Sakura suddenly feels like she is missing something. Her hand suddenly feels cold. Alone. "I'm not going to go see him, if that's what you're wondering."

"Aa." He holds out his hand and she slips her hand back into his. He is turned away from her. She can't see that he is blushing.

_So where does this leave us_? Neither of them dare to ask.

Just like that, they walk hand-in-hand back to their room. Minutes later, the two leave the room and head back to Konoha with Sakura's smaller hand in Sasuke's protective one, still very unsure of how to describe their relationship.

X

Naruto looks out of the gate, awaiting his teammates' return. Konoha got word two days ago that the two left Suna, and since then, Naruto has been waiting at the gate whenever he can. When he spots the stark contrast between the two pink and black heads, he rushes out of the gate.

"Yo teme! Sakura-chan!" he shouts as he runs towards them.

He stops dead in his tracks when he realizes something.

His teammates are holding hands.

Without him.

"Hey, let me join!" He continues running towards them. On the other side of Sakura, he grabs her hand. "So how did it go?" Sakura smiles at him as Sasuke rolls his eyes.

"I'm alive, aren't I?" asks Sakura.

Naruto beams. "So how's Gaara?"

"He's good. I have a scroll for you," says Sakura.

"Oh, oh, give me," says Naruto. He lets go of her hand and holds out his hands. Sakura reaches into Sasuke's bag with her free hand and pulls out the scroll. Naruto takes it, but instead of reading it right now, he places it in his weapons pouch.

"You seem very excited to read it," says Sakura.

"Yeah, he tells me about some unclassified things he does as Kazekage," says Naruto, "I want to be ready." Sakura nods and smiles a little.

"Good for you, Naruto," says Sakura.

"So Gaara just let you go?" asks Naruto.

"No, my chakra has to be sealed for a minimum of five years," responds Sakura.

"_Five_ years? That's going to take forever!" says Naruto.

Sakura shakes her head. "Nah, not really. They're letting me keep some of my chakra so that I can heal. It's not like I'll be completely useless. I just won't have a lot of chakra in my reserve."

"Besides, they already were lenient with her," says Sasuke.

Naruto shoots him a confused look.

"They nullified her 5000 hours of community service," says Sasuke.

"Oh," says Naruto, obviously unhappy.

"Sorry, Naruto," she says. Naruto looks confused. "For keeping us from being a team again." Registering her words and her apology, Naruto plasters a smile on his face.

"No, Sakura-chan," says Naruto, "We're still a team. Even if you can't fight for now."

"You can still spar with us," says Sasuke.

"Yeah, you've been gone for two years, you probably know lots!" says Naruto, "I can't wait to learn some." Sasuke shoots him a look that says 'Idiot, don't mention the two years.'

"Its fine, Sasuke-kun," says Sakura, "I'm not that scared anymore." She gives his hand a light squeeze. Naruto watches the interaction between the two. Something changed in Suna.

"You two…are you guys…together?" asks Naruto.

The two don't look surprised at the question.

"Yeah," says Sakura. Naruto stops in his steps. Sakura looks at him worriedly. Even Sasuke is surprised by his reaction. They expected Naruto to be okay with it.

...

...

...

...

"FINALLY!" Naruto finally shouts. He then rushes over to hug both his teammates at the same time. "I thought you'd never get together!"

X

_He's back_. _They're back_. The only words that run through Itachi's mind as he stares at his own brother. It is around 5 in the afternoon.

"Aniki," greets Sasuke. "I'm back." He decided that the first person he should see after Tsunade and Naruto is Itachi. Sakura decided that it is her parents, and then Ino. So they went their separate ways, but not without Sasuke dropping her off at her parents' home. They agreed to get together to eat in a bit.

"Aa." Itachi pauses. He is unsure of whether or not to continue, but decides to anyways. "Did it go well?"

"Aa." Itachi sits down across from Sasuke.

Silence.

"How is she?"

"Good."

Silence.

"How is Inuzuka?"

"Good."

"The wedding preparations are going well?"

"Aa."

"That's good."

Silence.

"Well, I'm going out for dinner with Naruto and Sakura."

"Hm."

Silence.

"Sakura's my girlfriend now."

A different kind of silence. A stunned one. Itachi looks up at his brother, evidently surprised. His eyes are slightly bigger and his lips are slightly apart. He definitely hadn't expected them to come back a couple. A tight grip encases around his heart and his lungs. It is suddenly harder to breathe. So much harder to breathe.

_Say something_, Itachi tells himself. Sasuke is looking at him expectantly, but Itachi doesn't have any kind of reaction besides surprise. Sasuke wants him to say something. After all, Itachi is his family and Sakura is his first girlfriend. Family is supposed to give their response to the first girlfriend, right?

"Hm," Itachi says, "That's…good." His voice is tighter.

"Aa," says Sasuke, "Well, I'm going to Ichiraku. See you later?"

Sasuke gets up.

"Aa."

Sasuke leaves the room, leaving Itachi alone. He sits at the table, staring out of the window at nothing. Minutes later, Hana walks in the room.

"Was that Sasuke I saw just now?" she asks. "He was leaving."

"Aa."

"So they're back? Sakura's back?"

"Aa."

"You're not going to go see her?"

Itachi doesn't answer. He was planning on going to see Sakura when she came back, but her new relationship status changes things. He can't do that to his brother.

"Itachi?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"She's Sasuke's."

She pauses. "What?"

"They're together."

"How…H-How is that…"

"I knew Sasuke had feelings for her."

"But…she…she likes you, doesn't she? How can she be in love with someone and be with someone else?" Itachi shoots her a look.

"I'm doing the same, am I not?"

Hana pauses. "I'm calling the engagement off."

"Your parents aren't going to understand."

"I'll _make_ them understand. You'll _lose_ her, Itachi. Go after her, right now. I'll go tell my parents the truth. I can't have you give her up."

"It's too late." _I can't do that to Sasuke_.

"No, it's not. If anything, Sasuke _knows._ He's smart. He knows that Sakura likes you. Go to her." Itachi doesn't move. Hana pulls him up by the arm. "Go!" She pushes him out the door. "_Go_!"

Itachi looks back at her worriedly, but takes steps forward anyways. He then looks forward. He knows that Hana is deeply hurt by this – by the fact that he can't get over Sakura, but she understands. It'd be too much for her to actually marry someone who doesn't love her anyways.

He follows Naruto's chakra signature to Ichiraku. Taking a deep breath outside the shop, he walks inside. He watches as Sasuke's table sits up straight to look at him. Sakura is seated next to Sasuke, with Ino on her other side. She isn't looking at Itachi, instead, she is looking down.

"Aniki," greets Sasuke.

"Sasuke," greets Itachi.

"Itachi-san," greets the rest of the people at the table – Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, and Sai.

Itachi nods to them in acknowledgement, then, "Sakura, can we talk in private?"

Sakura looks up in surprise. She grabs onto Ino's hand instinctively. Ino pats Sakura's hand with her free one, encouraging her. She then gets up and lets Sakura slide out of the booth.

"Go talk with him," Ino whispers in her ear. She then gives Sakura a little, undetectable push towards the door. Sakura looks at Itachi. He nods and walks towards the door. She follows. Sasuke watches their backs, emotionless. He turns away when they disappear behind the door.

Itachi doesn't have to turn to make sure that she is following. He knows when she is around and when she isn't. Her presence changes the temperature, changes the mood - changes _everything_. After a few seconds of walking, they arrive at an alleyway. There is no one else there.

He turns around and looks at her. Her slightly dull green eyes are downcast. Her pink hair is messily plaited to the side of her face. She is biting her lower lip. She's nervous, but she looks as beautiful as ever. Just looking at her warms him. He doesn't mean to not say anything. He just doesn't know what to say. All his thoughts from before flew out of his mind when he saw her a minute ago. He can't remember what he was planning to say to her. He's looking at her face – at her eyes, but she isn't looking at him. She's trying to avoid it.

"Sakura," he says. She jumps a little at his voice. "Look at me." He watches her take a small breath and slowly look up at him. Her eyes are uncertain.

"Um, what…what do you want to talk about?" she asks. Her voice sounds forced.

He doesn't know how to word it. He doesn't know how to ask her if she still loves him. He doesn't know how to tell her that he still wants to be by her side. He just doesn't know, so he just asks, "How are you?"

"I'm…um…I'm good. How are you? How's Hana-san?"

"We broke up."

"Oh." She looks down again.

"That's all you have to say?"

"Well, what do you want me to say?"

He sighs. "Why are you with Sasuke?"

"What do you mean?"

"You don't love him."

"I do."

"As a friend."

Sakura doesn't respond. "He cares for me."

"Lots of people care for you."

"If you're thinking that this is my way of getting back at you, it's not."

"I never said that."

"You didn't need to."

He sighs again.

"This is pointless." She turns to leave. Panic rises in his chest again. He grabs her wrist.

"Let me explain."

"Explain what?"

"The engagement was fake."

Her eyes widen a little, but that's it. Seconds later, they're normal sized again. "So?"

"I never cared about Hana like that."

"Why are you telling me this?"

He doesn't respond. He doesn't need to. She knows why he's telling her these things. She shakes her head and pulls her arm out of his hand. "It doesn't change the fact that you left me when I needed you."

He knew it. He knew that she wouldn't forgive him for that.

"When I needed you most…you left me. I can't just…"

"I'm sorry, Sakura." She looks at him again, surprised at his apology.

"Sorry for what?"

"For leaving you."

"…Why did you do it?"

"I was scared."

"Of what?"

"Of hurting you."

"What do you mean?"

"You..." He isn't sure how to say this. "You were so…"

"Weak?"

"Yes." He changes his mind. "No, not weak."

"Then what?"

"You were so…"

"You were scared to take care of me," she concludes. "Am I right?"

"I'm not that guy, Sakura. I don't take care of people. The last time I did…was when Sasuke was a baby."

"What happens next time then? If I forgive you, what if…what if this all happens again? You'd leave me again, am I right? I can forgive you for leaving me. I understand that you were scared. I understand that you were scared that you didn't know how to take care of me and that you'd only make it harder for me, but…I can't just…go back." She swallows hard. "I can't just go back to how we were. Whatever we were together…we can't…Not anymore."

It's his turn to look down.

"I _needed_ you…and you left me because of it," she pauses, "I'm sorry, Itachi." She turns to leave again. She takes a few steps.

"Sakura, please." She freezes.

"Forget about me," she says. Her voice is tight. "I'll forget about you. We should…We should forget that year ever happened. _Please, Itachi_."

"I can't." She turns to look at him. She almost stumbles back when she realizes that he is right in front of her. He leans in slowly. Sakura finds that she can't move. His gaze is so intense that all her thoughts vanish. But, just when she thought that he is going to kiss her, he steps to the side and walks past her. "Take care of Sasuke."

She doesn't turn around and watch him leave. After his footsteps are inaudible, she collapses to the ground. Tears flow out of her eyes as she stares at the ground. Despite not saying goodbye, he sounded so final. She knows that she'd see him again, but it just won't be the same.

She asked him to give up on her. That's just what he did. She shouldn't be crying, right? But she is. Because she still loves him. She loves him, but there is no way for her to be sure that he will not leave her again. She can't go through that pain again. Better to say goodbye now than to have him leave her again…right? She wipes her tears with the sleeve of the sweatshirt she's wearing. She then gets up. She pats her face a little on both sides. She clears her throat and brings a glowing hand to her eyes for a brief second.

She walks back to Ichiraku Ramen alone.

X

"It's time."


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 13

A pink haired kunoichi watches as large flames engulf a whole town.

"Mana," says a voice. The woman turns around and looks at the person who called her.

"Kabuto," she responds, "It's beautiful."

"Yes, it is. You're quite talented at creating masterpieces."

"Thank you."

"Madara said it's time. You know what to do."

"I understand." With that, she bows and leaves the snake lover. She heads towards Konoha where she'll see the one she was modeled after. _Sakura_. The _real_ one. That's her name. Well, Mana is also her name, but she doesn't go by it anymore, apparently. When Kabuto made her, he decided to call her Mana, so now, this is her name. Sakura is the name of the real one. Mana is the name of the fake one. She has many questions, like why is her name Mana? What about Sakura's past makes her so special? Makes Sakura hold such a spot in Kabuto's, dare she say it, heart? She wants to know. She should have asked Sakura the last time they met, but time constraints prevented it. Will she ever get the chance to find out? As she walks towards the forest, she looks back at Kabuto, half expecting him not to be there anymore. But he is. He's standing there, watching her leave. She feels her heart flutter a little at this. The fact that he didn't leave immediately means something, right? She looks down and then looks forward again. She continues to walk.

She has so many questions. Time is on her side right now.

She can think of all the questions to ask.

First, she wants to know who Uchiha Itachi is. All she has heard of him is that he means a lot to Sakura. She wants to know what Itachi has that Kabuto doesn't. _Kabuto is perfect_. For Sakura to choose someone over Kabuto? Mana thinks this is absurd. Now she really wants to know who this Itachi is. How perfect is he?

To be completely honest, Mana wants to kill Sakura so that she can take her place. Get everything that Sakura has. Get the love, appreciation and acceptance that Sakura has. Get the _life_ that Sakura has. After all, she is the real one. Though Mana can live without many things and has been told by Kabuto that she can conceive if she wants, it still isn't the same when there is someone who has the same face, same DNA, etc. Mana wishes that she was the first one. That she is the real one. That she is the _original_.

There have been countless times that she wished she could just kill Sakura and pretend to be her for the rest of her life. Make Kabuto believe that Sakura killed Mana and take Sakura's place. But then, when she thought about it, it would mean that Kabuto will likely try to kill her or never see her, which just made Mana's heart ache.

Thinking about it just makes her heart hurt even more. She lets out a sigh and lets her mind roam back to where it's supposed to be.

Another person she wants to know of is Uchiha Sasuke. From what she has heard or overheard about Sasuke, he is very much like his brother. She assumes his brother is Itachi. But she also heard that he is a lot like Orochimaru, who Mana has heard that Kabuto follows like a lost puppy. She also heard that he means a lot to Sakura as well.

All these questions of who these people are. She supposes Sakura has all the answers she needs.

Good thing her mission is to go find Sakura.

X

Sakura turns around. Ino looks at her.

"What's up?" she asks.

"I feel like someone's watching us," says Sakura.

"That's impossible. I would know," says Ino.

"Yeah, I guess," says Sakura. She turns back around and continues walking with Ino, arms linked together. Ino is telling Sakura of what happened on her first date with Shikamaru.

"And he got me flowers! Can you believe that? Flowers!" Ino says, her free arm swings about. "And-" Sakura whirls around again, looking behind her.

"This is not just in my head, Ino," says Sakura, "I can _feel _it. Someone's watching us."

"If it makes you feel better, I'll go look," says Ino. She unlinks her arm from Sakura's.

"I'm going with you," says Sakura.

"No, you have barely any chakra. We can't have you dying from chakra depletion," says Ino. "Don't worry. I'll just go check. If I need help, I'll go get some."

"Okay. Be safe."

"Stay here, or go find Sasuke and them, okay?"

"Okay." Ino then runs to scout the area. Sakura watches Ino, making sure she's safe, at least until she can't see Ino anymore. She then turns around. Someone's there. Her clone. Her pink hair is hidden by a hood and her chakra is well hidden as well.

"Long time no see," says the person.

"You – why?" Sakura asks.

"You're coming with me," says Mana. She then reaches out to knock Sakura out. Sakura retaliates by blocking her arm, however, her attacks aren't as strong as they could have been. She has barely any chakra in her reserves. Most of it has been sealed. "You're no match for me right now."

Mana reaches out to grab Sakura by her hair. Sakura ducks and swings a leg under Mana. Mana jumps up and lunges at Sakura – pinning her to the ground. Sakura bites her lower lip. She can't have Mana kidnapping her. If she manages to succeed, Mana will no doubt bring Sakura to Kabuto and that definitely won't be good for her.

"Don't underestimate me," says Sakura. She reaches up an arm so fast that Mana doesn't see it. With her palm at Mana's forehead, Sakura pushes Mana off of her with little to no effort. Mana glares up at Sakura. Sakura had planned to keep this jutsu a secret until needed, but this leaves her with no choice.

"What did you do?"

"Did you seriously think that I wouldn't try to find a way to counter you?"

"When did – What is this?" Mana's eyes flicker down to her body. She can't feel anything except her chakra moving to her head – all channeling to where Sakura's palm rests on Mana's forehead.

"You'll see," says Sakura. After a few seconds, Sakura removes her hand from Mana's head. She watches as Mana collapses onto the ground. She is still conscious.

"My chakra-" says Mana.

"My punishment for doing all those horrid things under Madara is that my chakra is to be sealed, but I'm sure you know that. With this technique, I can _take_ your chakra." She glowers at Mana. Even without being able to feel her body, she knows that a shiver is running down her spine.

"Are you going to kill me?" asks Mana.

Sakura stares down at her clone. She can't kill Mana. For one, Mana is the only one in contact who knows where Madara and Kabuto is. And secondly, Sakura can't kill her. She's just like how she was before. Mana might not know it, but she is just like how Sakura was before she was raped, and while Mana is an artificial being, she has a personality and she feels. Sakura can't take that away from someone who is exactly like a copy of herself.

"No. I'm not," says Sakura, emotionlessly.

Mana lets out a dry laugh. "Your kindness will be the end of you."

"It's not kindness," says Sakura. She turns around. She hurls Mana over her shoulder and walks towards the north entrance of Konoha. "When you get your chakra back, leave. Tell Kabuto and Madara…if they dare step into Konoha, I will personally take them down. Do not underestimate me."

She waves a little at the guards. They look at her questioningly. Sakura raises a hand that signals that she'll explain in a bit. They nod but watch her warily as if she'd collapse at any second. Being the pitiful-mentally-unstable-but-recovering-at-a-fast-rate-surrogate-daughter of the Hokage has its perks and downsides. She is almost like a long-lost princess.

She sets Mana down at a tree still in the line of vision of the guards. Mana doesn't move, mainly because she can't. Sakura looks at Mana. "Understood?"

"They're not going to listen," says Mana.

"Then they will die at my hands," says Sakura.

"You can't kill Kabuto," says Mana. She is emotionless as always, but Sakura sees the emotions in Mana's eyes. Sakura is good at reading eyes – after all, the two men that she has been in love with during her lifetime are both emotionless and half of her own team is the same. She knows the look in Mana's eyes. She knows it all too well. It's the same look that was in her own eyes when she didn't want Sasuke to be titled an official enemy of Konoha two years ago. It is the same look from all the times Sasuke almost killed her. It's the same look when she realized that she wanted Sasuke to live. She's sported that look in her eyes countless of times. And since Mana is identical to Sakura, it is like looking into a mirror.

The times that stood out to her the most, however, are the two times when it showed in _Itachi's _eyes. The first time it showed was when he stabbed her. The second time was just a few days ago, when he nearly begged for her to forgive him.

It is the look of desperation.

The look of sheer pain and anguish.

The look that speaks volumes.

This girl is really in love with Kabuto, it tells her.

Along with that, she remembers that Itachi is really in love with her. He had never said it, but he hasn't had to. She always knew. They had this mutual understanding ever since they met. Almost as if they never really had to communicate and –

Sakura cuts off her thoughts before they could stray anymore. No point in lingering on such a relationship. It is old news. She has to move on. She has Sasuke now.

Mana is still looking at her, almost pleadingly. She probably feels helpless. She probably feels as if, since she can't stop Kabuto and Madara from coming, she could at least try and save Kabuto's life. She probably is hoping that in her silence, Sakura is considering leaving Kabuto alive.

"No," says Sakura, "I can't."

"Why the hell not?" Mana snapped.

"Do you have any idea what he did to me?"

"No, but I want to know what _you_ did to _him_."

"What kind of bullshit do you think you're spouting?"

"He doesn't even _look_ at me! All he can think about is the day he can see his sweet _Sakura-chan_ again!"

"Listen to me." Sakura is practically hissing as she grabs Mana's face in one of her hands, her thumb on one side of Mana's face and the other four fingers on the other side. "Be grateful that sick bastard isn't looking at you."

"You don't know him like I do."

"No, you ignorant girl, _you_ don't know him like _I_ do."

"Leave."

"Gladly." Sakura turns around and leaves. She walks towards the two guards who are watching them in confusion, after all, they look the same.

"Hi," Sakura says.

They force small smiles at her.

"So that girl over there, right?"

They nod, still unsure what to make of this.

"She's an intruder I caught. I managed to hold her off and use up most of her chakra. Please watch her and make sure that she doesn't do anything. She is _very_ dangerous. When she recovers her chakra, please make sure she doesn't enter Konoha. She looks a lot like me, in case you haven't noticed."

They continue to nod.

"Okay, then I'll leave her to you. Don't be fooled, okay?"

They nod again. "Okay."

"Good. Thanks." Sakura then turns on her heel and returns back into Konoha.

She continues walking aimlessly, just thinking about all the things that just happened. Right when she remembers that she had just used her untested jutsu, she hurriedly decides to return to Ino's apartment. There, she locks herself in the bathroom. Sakura then stares at her reflection in the mirror of Ino's bathroom.

She is glaring at herself. She has been for a while. She sighs. She closes her eyes. Slowly, she opens them again. She lifts her all of her hair as if pulling it up into a low ponytail, but instead, she moves it all to the side to rest on her left shoulder. She then does some fast hand seals. Pressing a glowing index finger to the back of her neck, right in the center, she lets out a grunt. Her eyes shut in discomfort.

She feels as all the chakra she drained from Mana recedes to the point on her neck that her index finger is pointed to. She bites her lower lip to keep from screaming in pain. After a few painfully long seconds, Sakura lifts her finger from her neck. Her hands grasp onto the corner of the sink counter to give some support as her legs give out under her. Beads of sweat form at her forehead. She takes deep breaths. After a few more seconds, she lets go of the counter and stands up straight. She turns so that her back faces the mirror. She angles her head so that she can sort of see the back of her neck. Unsurprisingly, it is no longer unmarred skin. Right where her index finger was pressed seconds ago now has a small blue diamond shaped mark, much like the mark on Tsunade's forehead.

She looks at the small mark a few inches down from the new mark. It is in the shape of an '8' rotated 90 degrees – the infinity sign. It has been a while since she used it. She developed it about two years ago, and she constantly used it to heal herself from all of Madara's torture. It was fairly easy to develop given her medic skills. Just as her newer jutsu was fairly easy to develop given her impeccable chakra control and the already developed jutsu. All she had to do was modify a selected jutsu a little. Thinking back to the little infinity mark, she remembers her time with Itachi – remembering the first time he _cared_, however unintentional it was.

Sakura sighs again. She slowly moves her long hair so that it covers the back of her neck. She contemplates cutting the long tresses shorter. They were just growing too damn long; however, she decides against it. Longer hair hides the back of her neck better, and besides that, she doesn't have anything to prove anymore. Cutting her hair short when she was younger was only so that she could prove that she was more than just a conceited girl. Afterwards, it was just because she was used to it and it was easier to work with – though in the end, she began tying it all up anyways. Nowadays, there is no point.

She bends over the sink counter and turns the faucet, sending water out into her waiting hands. She splashes the cold water onto her face and promptly wipes it off. She does this several times and then stands up straight. She hand-fans her face for it to dry. Taking one final look in the mirror, she opens the bathroom door. To her surprise, Ino is right outside the door with her knuckles facing the door, obviously about to knock.

"Ino," greets Sakura. "How was it?"

"There was no one there," says Ino, "Your intuition must have been wrong."

_No, it wasn't. _"Yeah, maybe," says Sakura.

"Well do you want to continue our shopping or no?"

Sakura slowly shakes her head. "Sorry, I'm kind of tired. Maybe you can ask someone else to go with you."

"No, it's fine. I'll just go by myself." She flashes Sakura a smile. "See you when I get back. Leave a note if you're going to go out or something."

"Okay, mother," says Sakura, sticking her tongue out at Ino. Ino laughs and waves her hand at Sakura, both waving off her insult and waving bye.

Sakura lets out a sigh again after Ino leaves. She looks out the window. Seconds later, however, someone knocks on the door to Ino's apartment. Sakura gets up to go get it. By chakra signature and by looking out the peephole, Sakura finds out that it is Sasuke. She opens the door and greets the boy.

"Hey," says Sakura with a smile on her face. "What brings you here?"

"You're my _girlfriend_, are you not?" asks Sasuke nonchalantly. Sakura could almost laugh at the multitude of ways other people would have said it. Normally it would have sounded accusatory, but out of Sasuke's mouth, it wasn't so at all.

"Yeah," Sakura says. The smile stays on her face. "So?"

"That includes spending time together, does it not?"

"Well I wouldn't know," says Sakura.

Sasuke lets out an almost annoyed sigh. Or is it a relieved sigh? "Me neither. Naruto said I had to see you at least once a day." Sakura could almost laugh again.

"Uchiha Sasuke taking romance advice from _Uzumaki Naruto_? Now there's a day I never imagined I would see." Sasuke shoots her a look that tells her that he hadn't expected it either.

"Hm." Sakura opens the door wider and grabs his arm gently, pulling him into the apartment.

"I'll make some tea," she says.

Sasuke nods in response and Sakura continues pulling him towards the little kitchen. He sits down in one of the stools next to the island.

"Sweetened or unsweetened?" she asks.

"Unsweetened," he responds.

"Okay." A minute or so later, she put a hot mug in front of him. Steam rose out of the mug. She placed one in front of herself as well. "So what did you do today?"

"Naruto forced me to train with him for two hours. Then he went off to find the Hyuuga."

"Hinata or Neji?"

"Who do you think?"

"Ah," she says, smiling a little. Obviously Naruto went to go find Hinata. A while back, when Hinata confessed to Naruto, he was very confused. He still believed that he was in love with Sakura, but in their case, absence did not make the heart grow fonder, at least not in the romantic way. Naruto obviously still loves Sakura as a sister, but not as a romantic interest. And the boy was confused, that is, until he saw Suigetsu with Hinata. That day, at the restaurant, Naruto had told Hinata that he would court her. The Hyuuga heiress had fainted.

"How much longer do you think they'll keep doing this?" asks Sakura.

"Not much," says Sasuke, "She'll obviously give in soon."

"They're really, really cute together."

"Hm."

A comfortable silence takes over between them. The two of them have both of their hands wrapped around their warm mugs. Sakura soon slouches and places her chin on the tall counter. She looks down at the marble table, tracing her fingers over the design. Sasuke notices that she looks very sleepy. He reaches over the table and places a hand on the top of her head. Her lowered eyelashes rise up so that she can look at him.

"What did you do today?"

"I went shopping with Ino for a bit. Then we got a little sidetracked."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. I thought I felt someone watching us, but I was wrong, I guess."

"A ninja's intuition is almost never wrong," says Sasuke. He quickly adds, "Unless you're Naruto."

She giggles lightly, but shakes her head. "No, Ino went to check it out. There was nothing."

"Hm."

"Something's bothering you, what is it?"

"It's nothing."

"Tell me."

He shakes his head and Sakura nods. She knows that he won't tell her if he doesn't want to. Sure, he can do a lot of things for her, as shown through their childhood and the time they spent in Suna, but, Uchiha Sasuke is by no means whipped. He knows how to say no to his girlfriend. Naruto, on the other hand, is incapable of saying no to Hinata and they aren't even going out yet.

Sasuke barely registers that Sakura is staring at him and that one of her hands has enclosed around the one that he had placed on her head – though it is no longer on her head. She is tracing a finger around his palm, following the creases and the small cuts, but while she looks fairly interested in his palm, he can tell that she is very sleepy.

"Go take a nap," says Sasuke.

"Mmm, later," she says, her voice barely audible. She is falling asleep on the stool. He fights the urge to chuckle. Instead, he stands up and lifts Sakura up off of her stool. She doesn't protest. He carries her to the large couch in the small living room and lays her down. He feels strangely uncomfortable about going into her shared personal quarter with Ino. He is slightly traditional in that sense. "Sorry. You came all this way and I'm falling asleep on you."

"It's not the rudest thing you've done," he lightly jokes.

She giggles slightly but it just comes out sounding as tired as she looks. "You're going to tell me what the rudest thing I've done is when I wake up."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah." He watches as she sluggishly leans further into the couch. She lightly pats the empty space in front of her. Sasuke is a little surprised at the suggestion and the fact that _Sakura_ is the one to take the initiative in their somewhat-stuck relationship. He hadn't wanted to push her to do anything she wasn't ready to do – and that includes touching her aside from times where she obviously needed a tight embrace. However, after the initial shock, he climbs onto the couch next to her and she wraps one arm around his toned waist. Sasuke wraps one arm around her shoulder tightly, pressing her into him. His other arm is under her neck, being utilized as a somewhat pillow. His head lay above hers and his chin rests lightly on the crown of her head.

"Mmm, so comfortable," she mumbles, "You're really warm."

"You're really sleepy. Just sleep." He feels as Sakura's head nods a little. The hand of his arm that is used as her pillow gets tangled in her hair, relishing in the soft bubblegum-pink strands. He finds that he is very at peace. Very content. His brother is alive and well. Naruto has stopped chasing after Sakura and has finally found his true soul mate. And Sakura is cozily tucked in his arms, safe. Everything is rightfully in place.

He zones out as he listens to Sakura's soft breathing. The girl currently wrapped in his arms is so different from the girl he once knew. She's strong and confident, very much unlike the girl who always liked to put on faces to fit in with others. He wonders what happened during those years that he wasn't with her – the years that she trained under Tsunade and the years that she had been away from Konoha. The years she was under Tsunade's tutelage aren't hard to find out; however, the years she spent away…will she ever tell him? Will she ever tell anyone? He could only hope so. He knows how bad it is for someone to keep all of it bottled up for so long – after all, he had done it before. Since then, he has told Naruto everything that happened during the missing years – some of which was truly scarring. Naruto was strangely mature about all the things that went on and even offered some advice.

He shifts their position slightly so that Sakura's head and her upper body is laying on his chest and his back is on the couch. She doesn't wake at all. What did she do that was so draining? Shopping with Ino must be torture.

X

Mana stands across from Kabuto only an hour or less away from Konoha. He is looking at her expectantly.

"So? Where is she?"

"She…"

"Spit it out, Mana."

"She…She overpowered me."

"What are you talking about? Her chakra is _sealed_."

"I-I, I don't know! She developed this new jutsu-"

"Don't make up excuses. You have failed me."

"No!" Mana reaches out to touch Kabuto.

He shoves her away from him and turns around. "Where did I go wrong?" he asks himself quietly. Something must have gone wrong in his calculations for Sakura to be stronger than Mana.

"She created a jutsu that steals chakra!"

Kabuto's eyes widen. He turns around and looks at the emotionally shattered Mana. "Jutsu that _steals _chakra?"

"Y-Yeah, that's why I've been gone for so long. She drained my chakra and kicked me out of Konoha."

A smirk forms on his face. The wheels in his twisted mind turning. "You've done well, Mana." He pauses. "I'm going to need you to go back to Konoha."

"She told me to tell you and Madara that she will take you guys down if you step into Konoha."

"That's just the thing, Mana," a dark smile appears on his face, "There will be no more Konoha once Madara gets started on it."

Before she can speak, he continues. "So I need you to get Sakura-chan out before Madara attacks. Get her at all costs. Her new jutsu should be an interesting addition to your repertoire…try to learn it."

"I'll try."

"Good. Now go. I will see you in a day or two. Remember, Madara is attacking in exactly a week."

"Understood." She turns and leaves the small cave. Outside, she lets out a tired sigh. Lately, after every conversation with Kabuto, she feels as if she is replaceable. As if she isn't good enough. Sometimes she wishes that he created her without emotions. Sometimes she wishes that he hadn't created her at all.

Sometimes she wishes that she has someone to talk to.

She lets out another sigh and continues walking towards Konoha again.

X

Dull green eyes stare out of a large window. It is raining today. Her eyes are just as cloudy as the sky. On sunny days, she is okay. She is happy, even. However, come rainy days, her demeanor changes. No one knows why, except the owner of the eyes. She is seated on the wide window sill, a blanket around her shoulders and a pillow behind her back. Her long pink hair is left cascading around her shoulders. Her hands lay motionless on her lap and her legs are slightly bent in front of her.

Sasuke looks at Sakura. She is acting like a dead person again. Every time he tries to talk to her and ask her what's wrong, she simply answers.

"I just need to be alone right now. Sorry."

Sasuke looks over at Ino. She is just as clueless as he is. Konoha normally is a very sunny area. It doesn't get _much_ rainfall, but it does rain. Ino has only seen this side of Sakura on a rainy day once before and it was before Sakura and Sasuke got together. Ino sighs. All they can do is wait for the rain to go away.

"So do you think she'd react if I told her the news?" asks Ino.

"News?" asks Sasuke.

"Naruto didn't tell you yet? I would have expected him to let every one of the guys know already."

"Know what?"

She gets on her tip toes and gets closer to Sasuke's ear. Sasuke moves away from her, wary of her closeness. She puts on a serious face and slaps his arm slightly.

"I'm not going to bite you, sheesh!"

Sasuke sighs and slouches slightly so that Ino can reach his ears. She whispers accordingly. His eyes widen briefly and she catches a glimpse of his surprised face before his face goes back to emotionless. She starts laughing.

"What? Didn't expect it? So what do you think? Should I tell her now?"

"I would think that if she found out that you told me a whole day before you told her, she'd be furious."

"So you think I should tell her?"

"Yes, I think you should. I'll leave to give you guys some privacy."

"Alright. Thanks." Sasuke pats her lightly on the shoulder and then leaves the apartment. Ino turns and looks at her roommate.

"Sakura," says Ino. She places one hand on Sakura's shoulder lightly. "I have something to tell you." Sakura doesn't even turn to look at her. Her eyes are still looking out the wet window.

"What is it?" Sakura asks after a pause.

"Can you look at me while I tell you this?" asks Ino. Sakura slowly looks up at Ino. Ino smiles a little and sits down next to Sakura's extended legs, still on the window sill. Sakura's eyes follow her as she moves.

"What is it?" Sakura repeats.

"I was trying to figure out how to tell you this...and I don't know how to say it…really, so I'm just gonna say it." She pauses. A smile breaks out on her face and she raises her hand. A piece of jewelry that was not there before catches Sakura's eyes.

"I'm getting married!" Ino squeals.

As if snapping out of a trance, Sakura's eyes clear up. The green is still duller than it used to be, but it is a little more vibrant than it was when she first was recovered. She lurches forward and hugs Ino, squealing along with Ino.

"Congratulations!" Sakura says after she lets go of Ino. "Tell me everything about it! How did it happen? Since when were you two even going out? You kept it from me?!"

"Slow down, Sakura, I can't answer that fast!"

"Okay, fine, one at a time." She pauses, taking a deep breath. Ino finds it humorous that Sakura is getting so worked up. She isn't even the one getting married. "Since when were you two even going out?"

"We weren't."

"Wait, what? I didn't expect Shikamaru to be the kind that doesn't go out with someone before proposing…" Ino giggles lightly.

"Well, we were pretty much already going out," says Ino, "Just not officially."

"So when did…things _change_ between you two?"

"When I thought you…left, I was depressed for a while. Shikamaru helped me. I guess since then."

"_Oh_. So it's been around a year?"

"I guess."

"Have you guys kissed?"

"Yeah, of course." Sakura's eyes seem to be sparkling. "What's with that reaction? Haven't you kissed Sasuke yet?" Sakura shakes her head.

"I know Sasuke and I are going out, but he doesn't _do anything_ besides check on me."

"I think he's just trying to make sure you're comfortable first."

Sakura nods a little. "Maybe." She pauses. "Well whatever, this isn't about me. So, what made him propose? I expected it to be a while, ya know? Shinobi don't tend to get married so early."

"Um…well…" Ino suddenly is blushing and embarrassed. Sakura notices that Ino is rubbing her tummy a little. Realization hits her like a hurricane.

"Oh my god. Are you pregnant?"

Ino reluctantly nods.

"Oh my god. This has to be Konoha's first shotgun wedding."

Ino pushes Sakura lightly.

"No, stop it!" she squeals, embarrassed.

"Fine, fine, so when's the wedding?" asks Sakura.

"Well, I'm in my second month, and I told him that I wanted a wedding before the baby bump starts showing, so it's next week."

"NEXT WEEK?! That's so soon! How are you going to plan all that in a week?"

"Easy. My best friend is going to help me," says Ino. She takes one of Sakura's hands in her own. "Haruno Sakura, will you be my maid of honor?"

A silent pause.

Then a squeal. Sakura's hand flings out of Ino's and her arms are spread wide.

"Of course!"

Ino smiles. Sakura has been smiling for a while now.

"Oh my god, I am so excited!"

"Hey, I'm the bride. Don't let your excitement overshadow mine!"


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

A/N: Hey guys! This is an early update since I'm going to be busy tomorrow. But anyways, I'm not really happy with this chapter, but it had to happen in order to get things moving. Have you guys realized that the past few chapters were basically about Sakura and/or Itachi's emotions? Well, things are going to start moving now!

Enjoy!

I hope.

Review, please.

* * *

Chapter 14

Hana called him out again today. He can't say no to her. After she ended the engagement, her family was furious. He had agreed to help her, but he left her hanging. Now, she's engaged to someone else. An arranged marriage.

"_They just don't understand," Hana says. _

"_I'm sorry," says Itachi._

"_It's not your fault," Hana says. She pats him on the shoulder. _

"_Are you okay, though?" _

"_I'm fine." Itachi shoots her a look. "No, really, I'm fine. I guess someone from the Hyuuga clan is better than the Aburame clan. I don't have to live with bugs." She lets out a fake laugh. "Besides, I heard Tokuma has the best byakugan in the clan."_

"_If I remember correctly, he went to the academy with us."_

"_Yeah. We've…never talked to him before though." _

Obviously_, Itachi refrains from saying, after all, she never had to talk to other guys. When they were little, she was always with her little female friends during class and with Shisui outside of class. _

"_I heard that his clan has been waiting for the perfect moment to marry him off too," she says._

"_Hm."_

"_At least we'll understand each other, right?"_

"_Aa."_

"_I'm going to make it really clear to him that if we have children, they are going to choose their own partners. I would never do this to them."_

"_Hm."_

"_I'm meeting him tomorrow night."_

"_Hm?"_

"_Might as well get to know each other, right?"_

"_Are you okay, Hana?"_

"_I'm okay."_

"_I'm sorry."_

"_Don't be. I'm fine." She flashes him a forced smile. _

He and Hana walk in a comfortable silence. Hana isn't as upbeat as she used to be. Itachi still feels guilty. He knows that Hana still likes him. She was very hurt when he went after Sakura. She won't admit it, but he knows. He also knows that she can't forget Shisui no matter how hard she tries. He knows that she, in some way, saw him as a replacement for his cousin. He also knows, that no matter how much she tries to deny it, she still misses Shisui terribly and that she'll probably never get over Shisui, no matter what.

He feels her hand brush lightly against his. It's what she did when she wanted to hold his hand. He moves his hand away from her.

He can't lead her on anymore.

He can't be a replacement for Shisui.

She doesn't look at him. She understands completely. She always understands him. But the tears fill her eyes again anyways. She closes her eyes to prevent the tears from showing. When that fails, she stops walking. Itachi stops as well. He looks at her, worried.

"Sorry, I forgot that I had something to do. See you later."

Before he can say or do anything, she runs away, hopping from roof to roof. He briefly questions her strange behavior before his eyes land on a pink head. _Sakura_. She is with her best friend and his own brother. Along with them is the Nara kid. His attention lingers on her face for a little too long. His eyes travel down her arm to where her hand is intertwined with his brother's.

Pain, pain, _so much pain._

He then looks back at her face. She is smiling a big smile, at least she was, until she lays her eyes on him. Her whole demeanor changes. She was happy but now she is just plain awkward, as if she doesn't know what to do. She looks away from him. Sasuke must have noticed the changes because he looks up and sees him. An unreadable expression crosses Sasuke's face as he looks between Sakura and Itachi.

Before any of them can do anything, they both turn and look at the blonde friend. She must have called their names or something. Itachi watches as they walk into a store. Sakura doesn't look back at him like Sasuke does. Seconds later, Sasuke comes back out of the store without Sakura. Itachi figures he asked for a minute. Sasuke comes up to Itachi.

"Aniki, we should talk," he says. _About Sakura_.

"I know." He turns around and walks slowly. He hears Sasuke's footsteps behind him. They walk for a few minutes and wind up at the memorial stone. Standing across from each other, they aren't sure how to start this conversation.

"You still…towards her," says Sasuke. Itachi is somewhat glad that Sasuke started this awkward conversation. He had no clue how to go about with this.

"Aa."

"We need to do something about this."

"Aa."

Sasuke averts his eyes from Itachi's. He stares at the tree behind Itachi instead. He can't bring himself to tell Itachi to stay away from his girlfriend. Itachi had given up a lot of things for him and he can't have him give up anything else. But at the same time, Sasuke can't leave Sakura. He can give Itachi anything. Anything except Sakura.

Little does Sasuke know, Itachi is thinking the same thing. Itachi feels that he took everything from Sasuke. He can't take Sakura from him. But at the same time, he can't rid of his feelings for her and Sasuke knows it, just like how Itachi knows that Sasuke can't leave Sakura. She means too much to him…and right now, Sakura needs Sasuke more than she needs Itachi.

Sasuke lets out a sigh. "What are we going to do?"

Itachi lets out an ironic chuckle. "What else can we do?" He walks closer to Sasuke. Sasuke doesn't know what to expect. Then, Itachi raises a hand. Sasuke almost thinks that Itachi is going to hit him, but he knows better than that. Itachi chuckles lightly as he pokes Sasuke on his forehead much like he did when they were younger.

"Do not worry, little brother. I'm not going to steal your girlfriend." He walks past him. "She made it really clear that I am not the one she wants." Though his voice is emotionless, Sasuke can sense Itachi's sadness. And he instantly feels bad.

A weight settles on his shoulders as he watches his brother's retreating back.

After a few seconds, he walks back to the store he left Sakura in.

He spots Shikamaru inside the bridal shop.

"Sakura's inside. I don't know if she's helping Ino try on dresses or trying on dresses herself," says Shikamaru. He lets out a sigh. "How troublesome."

"You're the one who knocked Ino up," Sasuke mutters. Shikamaru sighs.

"If I had known that this was going to happen, I would have waited."

"Like Ino is the type to _wait_."

"I heard that!" Ino's voice carries out from behind curtains. A second later, she pushes the curtains aside. She is in a beautiful wedding dress. "I think this is the one! How do I look?"

The dress is a white one-shoulder dress with lace embroidery on the sash that is the strap. The lace fabric is directed towards her waist, where a flowery broach holds it in place, but it continues under the broach until her hip, where the dress fans out around her legs. There is a slit going up the side of the dress. She looks beautiful with her hair curled loosely and parts of it braided and pinned up. There is a tiara on her head and she looks completely ready to walk down the aisle. She looks _very_ beautiful. Every bit like the flowers that she grew up around.

However, Sasuke barely registers that Ino is in a dress.

Mainly because Sakura is in her own dress behind Ino. It is a bluish green, much like Ino's eyes. The top portion is a little bit more intricate than Ino's with it being in the shape of a corset, fanning out near her bosom and under. There are little flowers at the top and the bottom the same color as the rest of the dress. The bottom of the dress is plain and, like Ino's, isn't puffy at all. There is no slit in her dress.

She greets him with a wide smile, and for some reason, the weight on his shoulders seem to get heavier.

"You're back," she says. She walks up to him and takes his hand in hers'. "How do I look?"

"If you say anything short of beautiful, I'm going to punch you, Uchiha!" says Ino. Sasuke glances at Shikamaru and finds that he is just as speechless. He never thought that there would be a day where he would be at a loss for words, mainly because Uchiha's never run out of things to say, hence the 'Aa' and 'Hm'.

"Do I look that bad?" Sakura slightly whispers. Sasuke could almost punch himself.

He shakes his head. "No. You look amazing." The other three nearly break their necks turning to look at him. It is probably the most emotion they've ever heard in his voice in the many, many years they've known him.

To his amusement, Sakura starts blushing furiously and diverts her eyes to the ground. Ino starts blushing too, strangely enough. Even Shikamaru had a little blush on his face.

"Um, Uchiha, leave…leave things like that for when you guys are alone," says Ino. She can't look at him either. "Don't be s-so lovey-dovey, sheesh." She takes a glance at Sakura and finds that Sakura is looking directly at her. Ino gets her message. "Shika, let's go this way." Shikamaru looks at her and barely glances at Sakura. He gets the message as well. He allows Ino to push him out of the room.

"You got them to leave," says Sasuke, merely pointing out that he noticed.

"Y-Yeah," she mumbles, "Um…thank you."

"For what?"

"Um. Umm. Your compliment."

"I am your boyfriend, is that not what boyfriends do?"

She blushes even more. She is redder than her hair. "I-I-I wouldn't know."

An uncomfortable silence takes over between them – neither of them knowing what to say. Sasuke tears his eyes away from Sakura and looks at the door. Then, before he can come up with something to say, he feels Sakura's lips against his cheek. He looks at her, surprised, but before he can completely react, she tiptoes again and kisses the corner of his lips.

"Um, I'm going to go change now!" She turns to run away. She takes one step. Two steps. He reaches out and grabs her wrist gently. Spinning her around, he lets go of her wrist and cups her face with his hands. Then, he presses his lips to hers. A second later, he lets go, as if he were testing the waters. She stares up at him, surprised.

Something settles in the pit of his stomach. Something that feels an awful lot like fear. He's scared she's going to run away because he pushed her too far.

But she doesn't. She stays right in front of him, staring into his eyes. A light blush is on her face. Then she wraps her arms around his neck and tiptoes, bringing her lips to his again.

He kisses her back, but he questions why the burden on his shoulders only seem to get heavier with every second he spends with her.

X

It has been a week. The wedding is in a few hours and Tenten is running around, frantically searching for the bride-to-be and her maid of honor. She can't believe that the two best friends ran off just two hours before the wedding, dumping all the work onto her. She runs through the small bridge they decided to have the wedding at. Since most of the people in attendance of this ceremony are shinobi, they decided that they will simply stand on the water. It's different and many were against it at first, but they eventually decided that it would wind up very beautiful.

"Where can they be?" Tenten groans. She looks to the side and spots Sakura's mother. "Haruno-san! Have you seen Ino and Sakura?" Mebuki shakes her head.

"They're not in the back getting ready?"

"No. I've been looking for them everywhere."

"You should go get ready. I'll go look for them."

She pauses. Then gives in. "Okay, tell me if you find them, please."

Mebuki nods her head. She then turns around, ready to go look for her daughter and her best friend. Only twenty or so steps away from the bridge, she feels her daughter's chakra. She follows it to the pond. Ino isn't with her. Sakura isn't dressed in her dress either. She is simply staring out at the pond. Mebuki stops walking a few steps behind her.

"You're not going to get ready, Sakura? The wedding is in less than two hours," says Mebuki.

Before Mebuki can form a coherent thought, the pink haired girl in front of her disappears and Mebuki's eyes droop and her body falls towards the ground. Everything turns dark.

X

"You can do this," says Sakura. They are currently in Ino's flower shop. Karin is here too.

"I mean, is this too early? We're only 18. I mean…" says Ino. She is clearly flustered. "This is my last day of being single. This is my last _hour_ of being single. I…I…I just…"

"Ino," says Sakura. She comfortingly holds Ino by the shoulders at shoulder length away. "The only other boy you've ever had _any_ feelings for besides Shikamaru in your 18 years is Sasuke, and even then, Sasuke was barely even a love. He was just a childhood infatuation, and you know it."

Ino looks away.

"Ino, look at me."

Ino does so.

"You grew up with Shikamaru. You've known him all your life. You've known him before you've known me. He's…he's lazy and he's annoying, but he's Shikamaru. He's the boy you've known you'll end up with, and not as a last resort. I see the way you look at him, Ino. You look at him like he puts the stars in the sky, like the clouds float because he stares at them, like the flowers you love so much bloom because he makes them."

Ino starts tearing up.

"Shikamaru is your best friend, after me, of course, and he's the love of your life."

Sakura pauses. The tears in Ino's eyes start falling.

"And you're _marrying _him." She shakes Ino slightly with a smile gracing the pinkette's features and excitement showing through her eyes. "You're lucky that you both know what you want already at such a young age. And it's not just because of the miracle in your stomach. You two are meant for each other. You're ready. You both are. You both were _born_ ready for each other."

Ino hugs Sakura.

"Thank you, Sakura," says Ino. The two best friends stay in each other's arms for a short minute, then let go. Ino turns to Karin. "Let's go to my wedding, guys."

X

"Do you, Nara Shikamaru, take Yamanaka Ino to be your lawfully wedded wife, promising to love and cherish, through joy and sorrow, sickness and health, and whatever challenges you may face, for as long as you both shall live?" asks Tsunade, wearing the traditional Hokage clothes.

"I do," says Shikamaru. A small smile plays on his lips.

"And do you, Yamanaka Ino, accept Nara Shikamaru as your life-mate and one true love, promising to share all that life offers and suffers, to be there for him in times of need, to soothe him in times of pain, and to support him in all endeavors, big and small?"

"I very much do," says Ino, smiling as she looks into Shikamaru's eyes, her hands in his between them.

"Then I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride," says Tsunade, a huge smile on her face. Ino wraps her arms around Shikamaru's neck and the two kiss passionately. All of the younger generation start whooping and cheering.

Sakura averts her eyes from the lovers and looks out at the crowd. She finds her eyes making contact with beautiful onyx eyes. _Itachi_. She has felt someone staring at her the whole ceremony. She should have known it would be him. She averts her eyes when she realizes that she can't stare at him for long – at least not when he is looking at her so intensely.

Not when she can see in his eyes that he wants it to be her and him standing in Ino and Shikamaru's place.

And then the wedding is over.

And Sakura's chest suddenly feels very heavy.

Ino and Shikamaru walk ahead, walking through the forest, back towards the town. Sasuke walks next to Naruto, with the latter chatting animatedly. Hinata is next to Naruto. No one is sure who Naruto is talking to.

Sasuke turns back briefly to make sure that Sakura is following behind them. He figures she is lagging behind to talk to someone else. After all, many people are still behind, simply chatting. Sakura, however, has no such intentions. She simply wants time to herself. This bridge is the place she normally does most of her thinking anyways. She watches as people start leaving, heading back towards the town. She is looking down at the water, not caring about who stays and who leaves.

However, a gentle hand settles on her shoulder, shaking her out of her reverie. She looks up and sees Itachi. He promptly removes his hand from her shoulder.

"Hey," she says, "Did you enjoy the wedding ceremony?"

"Aa," he says, "You look beautiful." His voice is still emotionless, not that she expected anything different.

"Thank you," she responds.

She knows that he is staring at her again. He does a lot of that, she realizes.

"Look at me." His low voice almost startles her and she contemplates not doing as he says, but she finds herself turning around and her eyes trail up to his anyways. Time seems to go slower as she watches as he leans down closer to her. She finds that she is unable to move, not because of anything that he's doing, but simply because she can't move her own body. One of his hands is nearing her face. His fingers gently ghosts past her chin and settles right under her ear, cradling her face. And then, the distance closes between them and his lips are on hers. His other hand finds its way to her hip and although she leans back on the railing and lets him press his own body to hers, her arms stay at her side.

He tilts his head slightly to deepen their kiss. The hand that was on her hip starts sliding up and down her side, taking in every curve of her body. She lets out a moan, but it gets lost in his mouth. He takes advantage of her open mouth and dips his tongue into her mouth. His roaming hand glides over her rear and squeezes gently.

She registers what is going on right in between a louder moan. She brings her hands up and pushes him off of her. She tries to look him in the eyes, but she finds her eyes drawn to his slightly swollen and pink lips.

"Sakura."

Her eyes automatically lock on his again, only to find that his are on her lips.

"That…never happened," she whispers.

"Okay."

She turns to leave, but before she can go far, she hears someone call her name.

"Sakura!" says a voice.

Sakura turns around. It's her father.

"Daddy, what's up? Where's mom?" she asks.

"You haven't seen her?" asks Kizashi.

"No…I saw her this morning when we went to eat with Ino, but that's it," says Sakura, "I thought she was with you. I didn't see you two at the wedding."

Itachi listens in on the conversation and his eyes narrow. Something is strange.

"I was looking for her. She isn't here," says Kizashi.

"Mr. Haruno," says Itachi, intervening, "We should go find Karin."

"Karin?" asks Kizashi. "Who?" Worry lines show on his forehead. It isn't like his wife to miss something like a wedding. Especially Ino's.

"She's one of the best trackers around. She helped us find Sakura before," says Itachi. Sakura looks at him in surprise. He's speaking a lot to someone who he normally doesn't communicate with.

"Let's go find her," says Sakura. She takes her father's hand and walks back to town. Itachi follows close behind them. Sakura glances at him and nods appreciatively. The corners of Itachi's lips twitch in response.

And minutes later, they find Karin. She is with Hinata and Tenten outside of the bridal shop. Sakura barely registers Sasuke and Naruto inside the store behind the girls.

"Karin!" says Sakura. Karin looks up at the sound of her name.

"Hey, Saks, what's up?" asks Karin.

"Um, can you help me locate my mother?" asks Sakura.

Ino, Shikamaru, Sasuke and Naruto come out of the bridal shop right then.

"I was wondering where Mrs. Haruno was. I didn't see her before," muses Ino.

"I don't know," says Sakura. "My father says she disappeared."

"Sorry, Ino-chan, I was looking for her and missed your wedding," says Kizashi.

"No, no," says Ino, "Karin, can you help?"

"Already on it," says Karin. Her eyes are closed and she almost looks as if she is meditating. Seconds later, her eyes snap open. "She's not in Konoha. She's a few miles south from here."

Sakura looks at her father in surprise. "What? There's no way…" says Sakura.

"There's someone with her," says Karin.

"Who?" asks Kizashi.

Karin's eyebrows furrow slightly. She then looks up in surprise. "Sakura."

All of them look to Sakura in surprise.

"There's no way," says Tenten.

"I know," says Karin. "Sakura, whoever your mother is with…she has-"

"I know who it is," says Sakura. All of them continue staring at her.

"Who?" asks Sasuke.

"I'll take care of it," says Sakura. She looks down and her hands ball into fists. Her eyebrows furrow as if contemplating her form of action.

"Sakura-chan, you have no chakra," says Naruto.

"Don't follow me," says Sakura, ignoring Naruto. She then bends down and rips off the bottom half of her dress. She shoots Ino a glance. Ino nods, understanding.

Sakura then turns, but two hands grab both of her wrists. She doesn't have to look to know that one is Sasuke's and one is Itachi's.

"You can't," says Sasuke, "I'm not letting you."

"I'm going," says Sakura. "Don't stop me." She shakes off both of their hands. She moves one hand to the back of her neck. It is such a normal motion that everyone overlooks it.

"I'm coming with you," says Itachi.

"No," says Sakura. She closes her eyes as she feels chakra surge through her veins; however, like the sealing technique, the releasing technique also involves pain. Sakura nearly collapses forward, but she manages to play it off as a step forward.

"You're not going alone," says Itachi.

"You can't stop me," she says. She closes her eyes again and one of her hands forms a familiar jutsu. She waits a few beats. Then she hears bodies falling towards the ground. She then turns around briefly. Her eyes make contact with blue orbs – Ino's eyes. Shikamaru's arm is slung over her shoulder.

"I understand, Sakura," says Ino, "Just be safe, and come back."

"I will," says Sakura. She looks down and briefly glances at the various shinobi's faces. She lingers on her father's, Sasuke's and Naruto's faces the longest. She doesn't dare look at Itachi's face.

And then she disappears in a whirl of white feathers.

X

"Kill her," says Kabuto.

"What? I thought we were keeping her as hostage," says Mana.

"Now that Sakura-chan is out of Konoha, the hostage is unnecessary," says Kabuto, "Kill her."

Mana looks down at the unconscious blonde on the ground – the original's mother. The woman who had briefly mistaken Mana for Sakura. The woman who had briefly looked at her like she is one of the most important people in her life – a look that Mana has never received.

"Kill her, Mana," says Kabuto, "I have business to attend to. When I come back, I expect this woman dead." He then turns and leaves the area.

Mana continues looking at the woman. She should kill her as soon as possible. She should just slit her throat and be done with it. But…why can't she? Something is stopping her. She feels a semi-familiar chakra prickle at her senses. Sakura is getting near. Too close.

Mana should just kill the woman now.

But she can't.

Sakura is close and she is getting closer fast. Mana doesn't have much time. She swallows tensely and steps closer to the unconscious woman, using a lot of her willpower to get her feet to move.

She isn't moving fast enough, she knows. Sakura will get here before Mana can even step within a feet of the woman. She knows that she should just be done with it. But she can't. She just _can't_. Not to this woman, at least. That brief moment when she looked at Mana is unforgettable.

She takes another step.

But Sakura has arrived and the original's presence snaps Mana out of it. She grabs the unconscious woman and holds a kunai to her neck.

"Step away from my mother," says Sakura, "She has nothing to do with this."

Mana slowly looks up at Sakura.

"What makes you think I'll do what you say?" asks Mana.

"Mana, please," says Sakura, "Let her be."

"My orders are to guarantee that you stay out of Konoha," says Mana, "I cannot let her go."

"Put her down, please, Mana," says Sakura.

"No."

"Please."

"If I put her down, you'll take her and go back to Konoha."

"Why can't I go back to Konoha?"

"Because it is time."

"Time for what?" Fear settles in the pit of Sakura's stomach. Something is wrong with Mana. Something is wrong with all of this.

"Madara's plan is being carried out as we speak."

"Madara's plan?"

"To destroy Konoha."

Sakura casts one wary look on Mana and then closes her eyes. She knows that Mana won't attack her. She knows that, with Mebuki as hostage, Sakura won't run away. Sakura focuses a little chakra to her ears, heightening her hearing. Konoha isn't far and anything loud can be heard.

And that's when she hears it.

Screaming.

She hears lots of screaming.

Sakura whirls around.

"Take even one step forward and your mother dies."

Sakura halts all movements – the wheels in her head turning at speeds that Mana cannot see nor comprehend.

"Please, Mana. Just let us all go."

"I can't. These are orders."

"Please, Mana. _Please_! I'm begging you."

"I cannot."

Before Sakura or Mana can register it, a katana is sent soaring past Sakura and towards Mana.

Sakura turns, her eyes following the katana.

Everything seems to be going in slow motion.

She watches as it pierces through Mebuki's chest and latches into Mana's.

"You have failed me, Mana," says a voice. Sakura barely registers the words as she watches her mother. She doesn't register someone else entering the scene. She doesn't hear a battle ensue behind her.

The two women collapse towards the ground.

Mebuki's eyes snap open, waking up to the pain. Mebuki coughs out some blood and looks her daughter in the eyes. All she sees in the green orbs are confusion and utter pain.

"Mom!" Sakura screeches. She rushes towards Mebuki and Mana. She slowly helps Mana lie down along with Mebuki, slightly on top of Mana. She then pulls the katana out, moves Mebuki off of Mana, and then, with tears in her eyes, Sakura starts healing her mother. "You'll be fine, mom."

"Sakura," Mebuki rasps out. She raises a hand and places it on her daughter's glowing hands. "Stop."

"N-No-No, you can get through this," says Sakura, shakily, her voice cracking multiple times, "Don't tell me to stop!"

"Sakura, I may not be a medic, but I know that you know that I'm a lost cause," says Mebuki. "Instead, save this child." She looks at Mana. "She can still be saved."

"I'm not giving up on you!" Sakura screeches. "I'll never give up on you! I'm not letting you die!"

"Sakura!" Her mom scolds to the best of her ability at the moment. "Save the ones that can be saved, that's what you've been taught!"

"No," Sakura whimpers, "No. I can't. No. Mom, you _can_ be saved." She continues pumping chakra into her mother's wound. "You can. I can save you. I-I-I can save you. I can."

Silence.

"I can save you…" Sakura whispers. "I can…"

"Sakura, darling," Mebuki says. She weakly lifts her hand to her daughter's cheek. "Sing to me instead. You always loved to sing. I always loved hearing it."

Sakura shakes her head. "N-No, don't talk like that, mom. You're going to survive this. I'm going to save you!"

Mebuki musters all the strength she can despite the fact that most of it is quickly diminishing as her blood flows out of her. She is barely holding on, but she needs to convey her feelings to her daughter. She needs to make her daughter realize that there are others in need of her help right now. Her willpower is the only thing keeping her alive right now.

Slap!

"Get your act together, Sakura!" Her voice is weak. She knows that she can't survive this. The katana pierced through one of her lungs. "Sakura, I'm not going to live. There are others who need you."

"N-No. I can't. I can't." Sakura's tears fall harder. "I can't! You can't die!"

"Sakura, you're my daughter. We may not be related by blood, but you're _my daughter_." Mebuki feels her own tears slip out of her eyes as she looks at her daughter and caresses her cheek. "And as my daughter, it is your obligation to help others." She looks at Mana. "She's not that bad. She was ordered to kill me. She didn't. You will save her. _I believe in you_." Sakura's tears continue falling. She can hear her mom's voice getting weaker.

Her voice is barely a whisper as she says, "Sing to me, my daughter."

Sakura closes her eyes. The green chakra around her hands disappear. She is shaking uncontrollably. Her breathing is hitched and she is biting her lower lip, trying to control her tears.

But she knows she can't. So she opens her mouth and starts singing. Mebuki's hands drop from Sakura's face.

_Well I'm going home, downhearted and hoping_

_I'm close to some new beginning_

_I know…_

_There's a reason for everything that comes and goes_

Sakura slowly moves from her mother's side to Mana's. From the side, Mebuki tries her best to comfort her daughter, stroking up and down Sakura's back gently the way only a mother can. Sakura's still shaking as her hands start glowing and healing Mana's wound, which isn't as serious as Mebuki's.

_But so many people are looking to me to be strong and to fight_

_But I'm just surviving_

_And I may be weak but I'm never defeated_

_And I'll keep believing in clouds with that sweet silver lining_

Sakura's voice isn't in top condition to be singing. Clogged with all of her tears and sadness, her singing is actually horrible, but Mebuki doesn't stop supporting her.

_And most days I try my best to put on a brave face_

_But Inside, my bones are cold and my heart breaks_

_But all the while…_

_Something's keeping me safe…_

_And alive_

Sakura focuses in on the wound on Mana's chest as she sings absently, calming down slowly. She knows her mother is still alive, trying to get her through this healing process.

_But so many people are looking to me to be strong and to fight_

_But I'm just surviving_

_And I may be weak but I'm never defeated_

_And I'll keep believing in clouds with that sweet silver lining_

_And I won't give up like this_

_And I will be given strength_

_Now that I've found it_

_Oh, nothing can take that away_

_So many people are looking to me to be strong and to fight_

_But I'm just surviving_

_And I may be weak but I'm never defeated_

_And I'll keep believing – _

Barely a whisper, "I love you, Sakura."

Her mom's hand stops moving. It drops from her back. Sakura keeps her eyes on Mana's wound as she chokes and the tears start falling nonstop. She knows that even if she opens her mouth to continue singing, nothing will come out.

Mana looks up at the girl she was copied from. Her attention isn't on her own wound but on the girl looming over her, healing her wound, knowing full well that she is the reason why Mebuki is dead. But even so, she is healing her.

"I'm sorry," Mana whispers.

Sakura doesn't respond.

Seconds later, she feels her wound close up fully, leaving only a slight throbbing.

And Sakura whirls around and looks at her mother's corpse. Her eyes are closed and she is smiling. Sakura doesn't say a word as she simply places her forehead down on her mother's stomach and weeps. One of her hands grip onto her mom's hand and the other hand digs into the dirt under her and fists up.

Mana slowly sits up and looks at the shattered girl and her mother.

And for the first time since her creation, she is ashamed. It is a new emotion for her. Sure, she couldn't kill the woman herself, but she probably could have saved her. No, she _definitely_ could have saved the kind woman. And, she had heard Mebuki's words to Sakura. The only reason why Mana is still alive is because Mebuki told her daughter to save her. Sakura probably wouldn't have saved her if Mebuki hadn't told her to. For the first time since her creation, she wishes she could undo something.

She wishes she could do something to soothe Sakura's pain. She opens her mouth and allows her voice to flow out – the voice that is the copy of Sakura's.

_But so many people are looking to me to be strong and to fight_

_But I'm just surviving_

_And I may be weak but I'm never defeated_

_And I'll keep believing in clouds with that sweet silver lining_

Sakura lifts her head slightly from her mother's stomach. She turns and looks at Mana.

_Sweet silver lining – oh_

Mana closes her mouth as she finishes singing the remaining portions of the song, but only a second later, she opens it again.

"I'm sorry, Haruno Sakura." She bows down, letting her forehead touch the ground. "I'm so sorry."

Silence.

Mana lifts her head and looks at Sakura.

Slap!

"Apologizing won't bring her back!" Sakura screeches. "It's all your fault! S-She…She - It's all your fault!"

"I know, and I'm sorry," Mana says. Her tone is different. It isn't stiff. There is feeling and Sakura is taken aback by this fact. Mana's tone spoke true regret. Sakura looks away and turns back to face her mother.

Silence.

"…She said that you're not a bad person," says Sakura. "If you're not a bad person…I can forgive you." Her voice is emotionless – no tone, no feelings, nothing.

"I'll help you from here on out," says Mana, "I'll find a way to compensate."

"…You'll be betraying your beloved Kabuto," says Sakura.

"I don't care," says Mana.

"…Okay."

She doesn't take her eyes off of Mebuki and she doesn't see the battle ending several feet away from her. Mana, however, notices the battle and is torn over which side to choose – the side with less injuries…the side that is clearly winning and the "good" side… or the side that she has ties to, the "bad" side.

She takes a look at Sakura and makes up her mind.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 15

He is barely breathing, he knows.

It's not because he won't, it's because he can't.

Not until he sees her safe and sound.

After all, she has no chakra, right? How does she even plan on fighting?

She must have used up all of her chakra to knock all of them out.

He is moving as fast as his two legs can run – but it's still not fast enough.

And he can't breathe properly until he sees her and is where she is.

Trying to block out all of the negative thoughts, he simply blocks out everything. All he does is move almost mechanically towards where she is.

He isn't sure how long he ran for, but he arrives just in time to see Kabuto send a katana flying. Less than a split second later, he realizes who the katana is aimed for. He nearly moves to block the katana, but, when he realizes that it isn't Sakura at the receiving end, he stops himself. He is a little confused as to who the girl that looks a hell lot like Sakura is. But as soon as he registers who the katana actually pierced through, he holds back his sigh of relief.

Acting fast, he attacks Kabuto half-heartedly. Even so, it is enough to keep Kabuto occupied.

His mind travels to the fact that the katana had pierced Sakura's mother. He knows even without looking that it is a fatal blow.

He could have saved her.

"Mom!" he hears Sakura's voice scream a beat later. It is filled with pain and fear. And he doesn't know what to do and what to say besides keep Kabuto away from her.

He can't breathe normally yet.

Not until Sakura is out of danger's way.

Kabuto aims a few punches and kicks at him, but he manages to either block or dodge all of them. He briefly registers that Sakura is trying to heal her mother, but to no avail. Her mother is a goner, and he knows it.

As he dodges one of Kabuto's kicks, he sees Sakura move to the girl that looks like her and begins healing her. He can hear Sakura's singing, and it only makes his heart ache for her more. He realizes that Sakura is healing the other girl as he stabs a kunai into Kabuto's shoulder.

Where is Sakura getting all of this chakra?

His eyes narrow and he looks at Kabuto.

Better to end this quickly.

Kabuto smirks as he disappears and reappears behind him.

"You're a little rusty," Kabuto taunts as he holds a kunai at his neck, "Slower than I remember."

He quickly elbows Kabuto in the stomach, sending Kabuto flying backwards a few feet.

"Not in the mood to talk, I see," says Kabuto, "Well, I know a way to make you talk."

He glares at Kabuto as they stand feet apart.

"She screamed for you to save her at first. For the first few seconds."

It doesn't take long for Itachi to realize what Kabuto is talking about and his blood starts boiling.

"She eventually enjoyed it."

Itachi clenches his teeth to prevent himself from letting out something like a feral scream as he feels himself losing control for the first time. He glares at Kabuto, as if contemplating ways to kill him.

"Maybe you'll get to taste her one day, but then again, she's dating your brother now, isn't she? Maybe you should take her like I did."

At that, Itachi lunges forward, sharingan blazing.

"Oh did I make you angry?"

Fueled by anger, Itachi moves faster than ever. Kabuto made a huge mistake angering him. He may have thought that anger would only cause Itachi to grow careless, but it doesn't. No one has ever seen him so angry, after all. No one knows how Uchiha Itachi works with anger. It was expected that Itachi would work badly with anger, mostly because the man usually is a machine, but he isn't bad with anger at all.

Anger actually makes him much stronger.

Moving so fast that Kabuto can only block some of his strikes, Itachi manages to grab Kabuto by the face and make him look into his eyes, which Kabuto had been successfully avoiding until now. Itachi uses his Tsukuyomi and watches as Kabuto's body freezes.

With Kabuto stuck in the genjutsu, Itachi contemplates how to slowly kill Kabuto. He will make sure that Kabuto suffers before he dies. He settles on ripping the man apart, limb by limb, after breaking each and every bone in his body. It is a sadistic side that he never knew he harbored. He had always preferred the pacifistic ways, but not when it comes to this man. Not right now. Not when it is the man that hurt Sakura.

He takes one step towards the man.

Before he can take the second, the lookalike appears in front of him, standing between him and Kabuto.

"She needs you right now," the girl says, "I'll take care of Kabuto."

"No." Itachi glares at her. Does she think he's stupid? She'll just take Kabuto away, after all, she is on his side, right? She is the one who took Mebuki away in the first place, right?

"I won't run," she says.

Itachi doesn't respond.

"I can let you kill him right now," she says with some trouble, "But I don't know if that will make her feel any better. She's not hearing or seeing anything else right now. She doesn't even know you're here. You're her friend, right?"

At this, Itachi takes a fast glance at Sakura. The girl in front of him is right. Sakura isn't reacting. Instead, she looks lifeless as she stares at her mother. The only things that show that she is still awake and alive is the fact that there are tears running down her cheeks nonstop.

"If you run…" he lets the threat complete itself.

"I understand," says Mana.

"Don't kill him yet. Subdue him. We'll take him back."

"Understood."

With that, Itachi watches as she turns around and pulls out some chakra-laced ropes. Seeing that she isn't planning on doing anything against what they agreed on, he turns and walks to Sakura.

He is unsure how to go about this.

Normally he has everything thought out beforehand, but when it comes to Sakura, he doesn't know what to do most of the time.

So he puts a hand on her shoulder.

"Sakura."

She doesn't respond.

He isn't even sure if she heard him, so he kneels down on one leg so that he is closer to her eyelevel. But before he has to do anything else, she looks at him. Their eyes meet.

"Itachi…" Barely a whisper. "She's dead."

"I know."

He watches as fresh tears drop out of her eyes nonstop.

Her hand that was clawing into the ground comes up and grabs onto the fabric over her heart. Her other hand joins it less than a second later, only lagging a little behind, as if hesitant to let go of her mother's hand.

"It hurts. It really hurts." Her voice is raspy. "Make it stop, Itachi, make it stop." She cries harder, looking almost like a child throwing a tantrum. "I can't. I can't—Make it stop!"

Crying so hard that her eyes can barely see because her face is scrunched up in pain and the tears blur her view, she doesn't see Itachi's pain and confusion as he doesn't know what to do.

_"What happens next time then? If I forgive you, what if…what if this all happens again? You'd leave me again, am I right?"_

Her words from two weeks ago come back to him. Even though they can no longer be together, he can't leave her. He has to figure out a way to help her. He looks down at the lifeless woman next to them. Sakura's mother – a kind woman who cared more about her family than anything else. What would she do to comfort Sakura?

Itachi gently takes ahold of Sakura by her shoulders, re-realizing how frail and small she is for the umpteenth time, and pulls her to him, letting her cry into his shirt. He feels as her hands let go of her chest and grab onto the cloth on his back. He is briefly confused when she starts crying harder, but since she doesn't let go, he figures that she is simply crying harder for her mother and no other reason.

He listens to every heart-wrenching sob that exits her lips. Is hugging her as she cries all he can do to help her? Every muffled sound makes him feel even more useless. He doesn't want this to be all that he can do. He wants to be able to make her smile again. He wants to be able to make her realize that her mother wouldn't appreciate her crying her eyes out right now while there could be a war going on back in Konoha. But how would he tell her all this? With words? Would she listen to them? Would she even hear them?

"She's dead," she whimpers again, "She's dead."

Itachi pats the back of her head lightly. Contemplating his next action – thinking through all the positive effects it can have on her to the negative reactions it might draw out, he lowers his lips closer to one of her ears as he slowly rocks them back and forth.

"She wouldn't want you crying right now, you know?" he whispers, the closest thing he can do to cooing in her ear. "She would want you to smile and remember her."

He pauses.

Sakura cries harder.

"She would want you to move on – to be strong for your father right now."

Sakura slowly silences a little.

"She wouldn't want you to suffer over this."

A little more.

"She wouldn't want you to mourn for her. She would want you to celebrate the life that she lived."

Sakura's sobs are barely audible anymore.

"Seeing you in so much pain won't put her heart to ease. It'll make her feel like she left without making sure that you are okay first."

Sakura's silent as she listens to Itachi's whispering.

"You crying so much over her would make her feel like she failed as a mother in her final moments."

Sakura doesn't say anything as she clings tighter to him.

"You wouldn't want her to think that, right?"

He feels her shake her head slightly against his shirt.

"Your mother knows you're strong. She knows you can get through this. She wants to see you get through this as soon as possible."

She clings tighter, to the point that it almost hurts him, but he ignores the pain.

"She left with a smile on her face, thinking that she did well as a mother. Don't let her doubt that."

Sakura is still silent, and Itachi opens his mouth to speak again, but he feels Sakura's lips open again against his chest. Her voice is hoarse as she asks, "How do you know?"

He thinks back to when he had to kill his parents. They both smiled at him as he stood behind them, katana raised, tears falling. They both understood. They both wanted him to do whatever he had to. They both wanted him to be able to do all that he can. To not remember them as the Uchiha rebels, but to remember them as the loving parents they were. They died knowing they did well in raising him to be a dutiful shinobi.

"I just do."

Silence.

"…Thank you, Itachi." With that, she unwraps her arms.

"Are you okay?" he asks, trying to get the answer out of her eyes.

"No…not right now," she says airily. "But I will be." She isn't looking at him.

He nods. "Let's go back."

Sakura looks back at her mother's body. What are they going to do with the body?

"I'll carry her," he says.

She slowly shakes her head. Then, after a silence, she looks up at him. He realizes a change. Her eyes are no longer clouded, no longer dull – simply jaded. The vibrance - the old vibrance, however, is back. "No need. We should get back as soon as possible." Her voice is still coarse as she bites down on her thumb, drawing blood, and presses her hand to the ground. With a poof, a giant swan appears.

"Mistress," says the swan. "Long time no see." Its voice is soft and solemn sounding.

"Yeah," says Sakura, "Long time no see." She looks a little reminiscent for a few seconds, but then, "Yuubi, can you take us all back to Konoha?"

"Konoha? We haven't been there in a long time."

"Yeah. Konoha."

"Whatever the case, Mistress, you know I will do anything you need."

"Thank you." With that, Sakura gets onto the bird and Itachi brings Mebuki's body onto the bird as well. Sakura looks at Mana expectantly. Kabuto is in front of her, unconscious but squirming – still stuck in Itachi's genjutsu. Itachi helps get Kabuto onto the bird and Mana gets on promptly afterwards.

X

Ino looks around her. No one is missing, right? She has everyone…right? Making sure, she goes over people's names and faces in her mind.

Shikamaru, check. Hinata, check. Kiba, check. Neji, check. Naruto, check. Sasuke, check. Tenten, check. Lee, check. The rest of Konoha 12, minus Sakura, check. Her own parents, check. Sakura's father, check. Hinata's little sister, check. And the list goes on. She tries to recall people she has forgotten, but can't think of any.

She lets out a sigh of relief. She had managed to evacuate most of Konoha after Sakura left.

"What's the meaning of this, Ino?" asks Tsunade.

Ino pauses, contemplating her words. "Sakura told me to do so."

"Sakura?"

_Sakura looks at Ino. Ino is beyond ecstatic to have her best friend back and safe, but Sakura looks serious, so Ino holds back her excitement. _

_ "What's up, Saks? You're scaring me with all this seriousness."_

_ "I…" Sakura pauses. "I need to tell you what happened in the two years."_

_Ino's eyes widen slightly. "Um, yeah. Okay, let's sit down." She hadn't expected Sakura to begin telling what happened so soon. It has only been a few months – Ino had expected years to pass before Sakura opened her mouth about it. Sakura sits across from her in the flower shop. There is no one around since it is not one of the busy hours. _

_They sat in silence for a few seconds, and then Sakura opens her mouth. _

_ "I'm sure you know about my last mission before I left, right?" _

_Ino nods. "The one about your grandfather, right?"_

_ "Yeah, that one."_

_ "I left to get revenge on Sasuke, but Madara found me. He took me in…and he trained me. He also told me to watch and heal Itachi for him, which I did."_

_Ino doesn't ask to know that Sakura is only telling her what happened between her and Itachi so that it will cushion the blow of whatever else Sakura is going to tell her. Sakura wouldn't tell her what went down between her and Itachi otherwise – it is information that only Sakura and Itachi know and they seemed to want to keep it that way. _

_ "But, I don't know – things changed. I…I fell for him. He didn't do much. I didn't really do much. I mean, I guess it was just the fact that we were stuck together for a whole year – no one else to talk to, really, and no one else to suffer with. And…we just have this understanding. I don't really have to speak for him to know what I'm thinking and vice versa. And it just happened…but we never did anything together, I mean, there was always this really tense wall between us. He knew that I was after his brother's blood and I knew that he was planning on killing me for it…And-"_

_Ino could tell that Sakura's having troubles explaining it, but she can understand, somewhat. After all, she had almost lost Shikamaru to Temari, who didn't have to speak much with Shikamaru to understand him. Ino never told anyone, but she was always scared that Temari would take Shikamaru away from her. _

_ "You don't have to tell me this if it makes you uncomfortable, Saks," says Ino. _

_ "No, I want to tell you. I have to tell someone eventually," says Sakura. She shoots Ino a slight smile. "And besides, I bet you're just itching for some gossip, though I apologize that this is really bad gossip."_

_Ino only giggles slightly in response. _

_ "So…yeah. I fell for him. And that fact, along with the fact that I was going to kill Sasuke, almost killed me several times. I attempted suicide once. Itachi saved me. He saved me a lot. More than I'm willing to admit. But, when he betrayed me to Konoha – I don't know – I mean it isn't really betrayal considering I knew he wasn't on Madara's side or my side, but it just – it just hurt."_

_Ino nods and lets Sakura take a breath and get her thoughts in order. _

_ "I never really had any indication about how he felt about me. I always wondered why he always rescued me whenever he didn't need to, I mean he was planning on killing me, right? So what is the point? But…eventually, I got my answer. Well, I got my answer that time when he and I were fighting – that time I died."_

_Ino nods. She had been present when Shizune told Tsunade exactly what happened, so she knows perfectly well how much Sakura means to Itachi. _

_ "After…After Itachi left me in the lake, Kabuto found me. Itachi hadn't made sure that my body was completely gone before he left…" Sakura's voice is tenser. _

_ "Well, he couldn't take seeing it," says Ino, reasoning._

_ "I know," says Sakura, but she changes the topic, "And Madara was betting on that…so Kabuto managed to pull me out under Madara's orders. Madara then somehow revived me with some forbidden jutsu."_

_ "But if you were alive, why didn't you come back?"_

_ "I couldn't. I wanted to, believe me, but I couldn't."_

_ "Why?"_

_ "Well, for one, if I ran, they would likely take someone and kill them."_

_ "But…right now, you're here."_

_ "I know, which is why I think that they might come after someone later on. I overlooked it before because I couldn't think straight, but now that I think about it, it is a big danger."_

_ "But, Sakura, why…?"_

_ "…Madara forced me to train with him for a while after I was revived, then he sent me out on missions. During those missions…I did things that I'm not proud of, but I tried my best to help Konoha and Suna as much as I could, but when Madara found out, he left me to Kabuto."_

_ "He raped you…"_

_ "Yeah. He developed some sort of warped obsession..." Sakura's hands ball into fists. Her knuckles turning white with the strength. _

_ "How many…?"_

_ "Once. Madara stopped him from doing it anymore, saying he didn't want me to be completely useless."_

_Tears fill Ino's eyes as she stares at her best friend. _

_ "I'm fine, Ino."_

_Ino wipes her eyes. "Okay, so what made you decide to tell me now?"_

_ "While Sasuke and I were gone, someone came to find me while Sasuke was out."_

_ "Who?"_

_ "My clone."_

_ "Clone!?"_

_ "Yes, clone."_

_ "W-What…"_

_ "Ino, I'm going to need you to listen really closely."_

_ "Yes."_

_ "Over the past two years, I tried to find out as much as I could to help Konoha. One of the things I found out is the fact that Madara plans on destroying Konoha because of all the bad Senju and Uchiha blood. He hates the fact that the Senju clan were in charge while the Uchiha merely were given the police system. So he wants to destroy Konoha, and he wants to rule the world."_

_ Sakura pauses, letting Ino soak it all in. _

_ "Now that they have my clone, I am not so sure that they will come after one of my loved ones, but either way, they are still planning on destroying Konoha and they prefer the inhabitants to still be in Konoha…so when that time comes, I'm going to need you to evacuate _everyone_."_

_ "Everyone, Sakura, that's more than a one person job."_

_ "But if I tell any more people, they'll get suspicious."_

_ "I-"_

_ "Don't doubt your abilities, Ino."_

_ "I'm not – I just."_

_ "I'm going to tell Naruto too. You two can work together to evacuate everyone."_

_ "Only us?"_

_ "I think two loud blondes are all I need."_

_ "…I understand."_

_ "I'll let you know when."_

Ino leaves out the details of Sakura's rape and her relationship with Itachi, knowing that Sasuke and Naruto both would hunt for blood. She looks at Tsunade again. Tsunade nods understandingly. She turns and looks back at where Konoha is being destroyed. Naruto had managed to help Ino create clones of almost everyone using his shadow clones – the ones that are 'screaming.'

They had succeeded in evacuating everyone.

"So what do we do now?" asks Kiba. "We have no home again."

At these words, everyone looks depressed.

"Madara has gotten stronger over the past years. Even if we all fought together, I'm not sure we'd be a match for him," says Tsunade.

"You're kidding me," says Naruto, "I can beat him!"

"Sakura says that he made her help him develop a jutsu that kills lots of shinobi at once – simply by touch," Ino whispers.

"That's…" says Naruto, suddenly discouraged.

"Well did Sakura tell you what to do after we are evacuated?" asks Sasuke.

"We wait," Ino responds, "We wait for her to come back. She says we're safe here for at least two days."

"How does she know all of this?" asks Neji.

"I don't know, she just does," says Ino, "I don't question it."

"Should we?" asks some other shinobi.

Ino whirls around and glares at the poor man. "No, we shouldn't."

"Sakura has saved all of us just now," says Tsunade, "We will not question her motives."

"So we wait," says Naruto, "I hate waiting."

"We know," says Sasuke, sarcastically.

"Shut up," Naruto mutters.

Sasuke stares down at the ground in front of him, evidently confused. Where did Sakura get all her information and power from? She's supposed to have no chakra and she hasn't been allowed out of Konoha – unless she has her own spy under Madara, but he doubts that since Madara doesn't have any followers following his every move.

Not long afterwards, some of the Hyuuga's spot a giant swan flying towards them.

"She's back!" one of them say.

With that, all of the Konoha 12 crew look up, and they spot her. They are all quiet as the swan lands next to them. Sakura jumps off the bird first. She pets the swan gently over the head as the others watch in awe. No one has ever seen a swan summon before. Next, Sakura's twin jumps off, and everyone is instantly confused, but she has Kabuto in front of her – tied and unconscious. Itachi then gets off and Sakura helps him get another body off of the swan.

"Thank you, Yuubi," Sakura barely whispers. The swan bows its head a little and then disappears. Then, she stands alone a few feet from Itachi.

Sakura's father stares at the lifeless body of his wife – the love of his life. He had known for a while now that the chances of his wife coming back alive were slim to none, but actually seeing her lifeless body is completely different. It hurts and he had tried to stop the hurt by convincing himself that she was probably already dead, but the hurt doesn't stop. It can't stop until it happens and it won't stop until time passes.

Then he looks at his daughter. Her eyes are puffy and she looks utterly shattered despite trying to put on a strong front. He can tell that she doesn't want to look him in his eyes. She isn't even looking at the lifeless body in Itachi's arms. She is just staring at the floor. He slowly walks towards his daughter and she hesitantly looks up at him. He sees the shame and regret in her eyes. She feels ashamed because she feels like it is all her fault – and he won't let her feel like her mother's death is her fault.

"Daddy, I'm sorry," she chokes out – the tears forming in her eyes again.

"Sakura," he says as he wraps his arms around his baby girl. "This is not your fault – none of it is. You never asked for any of this, so none of this is your fault. You can't blame yourself."

Everyone is silent and unsure of what to do as they watch the emotional scene in front of them. Ino quickly nudges Sasuke, telling him to be there for Sakura too. Sasuke walks up behind Sakura and Kizashi sees him. Kizashi smiles at him and releases Sakura. She looks at him, evidently confused, but he motions towards Sasuke. Sakura turns around and seeing Sasuke, she walks towards him. As she gets closer, he opens his arms slightly and Sakura walks into his arms, wrapping her own arms around him.

Ino then gets everyone to disperse. She also tells Tsunade to order some ANBU to apprehend Mana and Kabuto. She shoots one worried look at Sakura before walking off with the rest of the Konoha 11.

Kizashi then looks to Itachi and his wife's corpse. He walks closer to them and holds out his arms expectantly. Itachi understands and places Mebuki's corpse in Kizashi's arms. Itachi is about to walk away, but Kizashi stops him.

"Thank you," says Kizashi, "And I apologize."

Itachi looks to him confused.

"You're in love with her, I can tell," says Kizashi.

Itachi is a little surprised that the first person to actually say the words is Sakura's father, but he doesn't show any surprise on his face as he looks at the older man.

"You were a little lost, but you have found your way. The ups and downs with my daughter have changed you into a better man, so even if you don't end up with her in the end, I am sure that you will be fine." He then sidesteps so that Itachi is out of his way as he walks.

Itachi bows as Kizashi starts walking, but Kizashi stops abruptly next to Itachi.

"She'll see it soon."

Itachi is surprised, though there is as much emotion on his face as ever. He is about to turn around to ask the older man what he means, but when he does, Kizashi is already pretty far away – his deceased wife in his arms. Itachi can tell by the slight decline of Kizashi's shoulders that Kizashi is mourning now, so he doesn't want to disturb, so he simply turns away. He looks as his own brother comforts his almost-but-not-quite-ex-girlfriend. He turns away again, walking back towards where everyone else is.

He passes by the Hokage who is walking towards Sakura and Sasuke. He bows slightly in respect and she nods in acknowledgement, then, "Stay. I need to talk to you and Sakura."

He nods. His back faces Sakura and Sasuke as Tsunade walks towards them and interrupts. He hears her say, "Sakura, I'm sorry, but we have to talk to you about this."

Sakura must have nodded or something, because he didn't hear a response. He hears footsteps. His brother walks up next to him. Sakura is next to the Hokage, walking slightly ahead of them. Tsunade's arm is around Sakura's shoulder comfortingly.

"How did you know?" asks Sasuke, whispering so only Itachi can hear them. Itachi doesn't have to ask to know what Sasuke is asking about. _How did you know what she was going to do?_

"I just did," Itachi responds.

Out of his peripheral vision, Itachi sees Sasuke look at the back of Sakura's head, then look down at the ground. He is slightly surprised that his answer didn't get Sasuke to show any actual emotions, but he leaves it as is.

Soon, they arrive at Tsunade's makeshift office.

"Sakura, we're going to need to interrogate you," says Tsunade.

"I understand," says Sakura.

"Itachi, you too," says Tsunade. "We're going to need you to tell us everything that happened too."

"Aa," says Itachi.

"Alright, Itachi, go with Anko. Sakura, go with Ibiki. They just finished interrogating Mana," says Tsunade.

The two don't say anything to each other or anything else to anyone else. They simply follow behind their interrogators silently. Tsunade sighs slightly. She looks at Sasuke. He looks troubled, or as troubled as he can look with that emotionless face.

"Is something wrong, Uchiha?" asks Tsunade.

"No," says Sasuke after a short silence. He then leaves the wooden fortress that Yamato created.

Tsunade lets out a sigh and shakes her head slightly, then, "Someone find me Naruto!"

X

Sakura sits across from Tsunade again.

"You're telling me that you're the only one who has the chance of defeating Madara?" asks Tsunade, a bit confused and angry.

"Yes, I am," says Sakura.

"Sakura, you told me that even all of the shinobi from this village probably can't take him on, what makes you think that you, alone, can do it?" Tsunade asks. Though the words sound insulting, Sakura doesn't take it to heart. After all, she knows what Tsunade means. The straightforward woman would rather use harsh words than beat around the bush.

"Shishou, I understand that you think it's not possible, but I understand the way Madara works. I know his fighting patterns better than anyone else. He _trained _me. I know how to counter some things he does. I helped create that jutsu. I can take him on."

"No, Sakura, I will not let you go against him _alone_!"

"Shishou, the only other person I will allow to come with me is Mana. That's final. Either you let me go and fight him, or he comes and finds all of us and we're all dead."

"Sakura…"

"Just…do as I say, just this once, please. Take everyone, lead them all to Suna. You can probably find shelter there. I will stay behind with Mana. You heard her interrogation; she is repenting for her sins by being on our side. Let me stay. I will end this."

"I can't, Sakura. I just-"

"It's my life or everyone else's life – our whole village's life. Shishou, you know what the right choice here is. Leave me behind."

"But you've just gotten back…and…we can't lose you again. Ino. Sasuke. Naruto. _Me_. I wouldn't be able to take it."

"It will hurt them, but they'll get over it. I know they will. Ino has a child on the way…and Sasuke – well, Sasuke has Naruto." Sakura pauses. "And you. Shishou, you have all of Konoha."

"Sakura-"

"Whether you guys stay or not, I will protect Konoha with my life. It is my duty as a shinobi. My chakra may be sealed, but I have other ways to get it. Tsunade-sama, do not forget that you are the Hokage."

Tsunade starts tearing up as she stares at the young girl in front of her.

"I am the only one who stands a chance against Madara, so it is your duty to leave me behind and take all those innocent people to Suna."

Tsunade's tears finally fall as she grabs onto Sakura's hands and cries as she nods.

"Promise me you'll come back," says Tsunade.

"I can't make such promises," says Sakura, painfully truthful. "I'll try my best."

"No, you will not only_ try_, you _will_ come back," Tsunade chokes out. "I can't lose you again."

"Okay, Shishou, okay," says Sakura, tearing up herself. She gets up and hugs Tsunade tightly.

"You're the daughter I never had," says Tsunade, "I-"

"I'll be fine, Shishou, it is a shinobi's duty to defend their village."

"Kakashi says that those who desert their comrades are worse than trash."

"You're not deserting me. You're simply letting me protect you."

Tsunade hugs Sakura tighter, not responding verbally. After a few seconds, Tsunade lets go of Sakura and wipes her eyes. Sakura steps back and bows slightly.

"You should leave tomorrow at dawn," says Sakura.

"I understand," says Tsunade. She shoots Sakura a small forced smile. "I'll tell Shizune to unseal your chakra. She'll find you later."

Sakura nods. "Take care, Shishou, I won't come to see you until all of this is over," says Sakura. Tsunade doesn't have to ask to know why Sakura won't come see her. "Wait for mine or Mana's word to come back."

"Okay."

"Thank you for everything. I love you, Shishou."

"You too, Sakura, you too."

Sakura bows again and leaves the room.

Tsunade watches her 18-year-old apprentice shoulder the weight of the whole war on her shoulders as she walks out. It wasn't supposed to be Sakura. It was supposed to be all of Konoha. Sakura was supposed to be standing at the sidelines, healing people and saving lives. She wasn't supposed to be directly on the battlefield – directly in the target range. Yet, she is – and she is going to be the only one on there.

She feels as tears prickle her eyes again.

Sadly, there is no sake to ease the pain.

X

Sakura stares at the chained and barely conscious man seated across from her. His chakra has since been sealed and, as extra precautions, there are still chakra ropes around him.

"Ah, to what do I owe this pleasant visit, Sakura-chan?"

"Shut up, Kabuto."

He lets out a dry laugh, but then he licks his lips as he looks her up and down. "Aren't you sad that I'm all chained up right now…"

Sakura glares at him.

"Come on, stop being so sour."

"What is Madara planning after destroying Konoha?"

"You know that answer better than anyone, Sakura-chan."

"How does he plan on controlling the world?"

"How does it feel to be dating your grandfather's murderer?"

"Answer the question, Kabuto," Sakura hisses.

"You've kissed him, haven't you? Sasuke-kun, I mean," Kabuto teases, "Does he know that you've kissed Itachi too?"

Sakura hides her surprise as she continues glaring at the bastard. "Answer my question."

"How should I know? He doesn't tell me these things."

"Then this meeting is pointless," says Sakura. She stands up and walks towards the exit.

"Wait, wait, Sakura-chan," says Kabuto, suddenly alarmed, "I will tell you all that I know…if you bring Mana here."

Sakura scoffs. "How stupid do you think I am?"

"You need my information."

"No amount of information is worth letting a disgusting, worthless son of a bitch like you roam free."

She then leaves the room. Once outside of the door, she leans her back on the door and lets out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Her heart is beating fast. Kabuto still strikes fear into her – there's no doubt about it. She looks down at the ground and takes several deep breaths, and then she continues walking.

One thing that Kabuto said stays in her head. '_How does it feel to be dating your grandfather's murderer?'_

In the temporary mental instability, she had totally forgotten that Sasuke is the one that killed Danzo; that Sasuke is the one that she had sworn to kill. She knows that she can't kill him, but despite the fact that he has been there for her and their relationship has been doing well…he is still the one who killed her grandfather. When she had forgotten this fact, when she had overlooked it, Sasuke was _the_ choice, but now that someone has reminded her, she cannot just forget about it. Her mother shook her out of her insanity. Her mother made her realize that she is Haruno Sakura – one of the smartest kunoichi around.

But with that intelligence also returns her nagging conscience – the conscience that won't let her forget the reality that Sasuke killed her grandfather.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

A/N: Short chapter, sorry. It's for the suspense, I swear. D:

* * *

Chapter 16

Sasuke, Naruto, Ino and the rest of their crew stand around as Sakura gets her chakra unsealed. It is a rather draining process due to all the complications that Sakura's own jutsu create. Currently, she is screaming in pain. Her two best friends and current boyfriend have since noticed that most of the things she does almost always involves hurting herself.

Sasuke doesn't have to look far off to know that Itachi is nearby, watching as well.

He sighs as he turns around.

"What's wrong, Sasuke?" asks Naruto.

"I'm going to go find someone," says Sasuke.

Naruto looks at him questioningly, but then he understands.

"I'm coming with you."

"Hm."

Ino looks at the two best friends, a little confused, but she doesn't have a chance to form another coherent thought as another soul-ripping scream pierces the air. Her eyes lock onto her own best friend again. She grabs onto her husband's hand and squeezes. He squeezes her hand back.

"She'll be fine," says Shikamaru, "She's a survivor."

"Yeah…she's a survivor," Ino repeats absently. She can't help but think that there's something else behind this sudden situation. Sakura's agreement with Suna was that her chakra is to be sealed for at least five years. It has only been a little more than two weeks. There is no way that Suna is simply taking back their end of the bargain just because Konoha is under attack. There's something else going on here. She lifts her eyes off of her best friend, only for them to meet with another pair of red eyes. Itachi's eyes.

His eyes don't say much. His face is emotionless as he observes her. Then, a few seconds later, his attention is turned back to Sakura.

"Did you see her eyes before?" asks Shikamaru.

Ino nods, "They're back to normal."

"Yeah…You think it's strange."

"You do too."

"Something has happened."

"I know."

"We won't know what."

"I know." Shikamaru lifts his eyes and looks at the remaining Uchiha.

"He knows."

"Yeah…"

Silence takes over as Sakura's screaming gets louder and more frequent.

The unsealing process isn't supposed to be painful. What on earth has Sakura done to her body for it to reject the jutsu so intensely? Ino winces every time Sakura's screams. Soon enough, her screams get so bad that Shikamaru has to get Ino out of the vicinity and Sakura is gagged.

X

"What are you two doing here?" asks Tsunade, "Isn't Sakura getting her chakra unsealed right now? Aren't you two just itching to be teammates again?"

"What's going on?" asks Sasuke, "Please tell us."

Naruto remains quiet.

"I don't know what you're talking about," says Tsunade.

"Cut the BS," says Sasuke, "We know something is going on. Sakura isn't getting her chakra back just so she can be our teammate again. There's something else."

"No, Uchiha, there is nothing else," says Tsunade.

"Baa-chan, you've been crying," says Naruto, his voice barely a whisper.

Tsunade is taken aback by Naruto's observation. She reduced the puffiness of her eyes, so how can he tell? "Our village has just been destroyed – how do you think I feel?"

"That's not it," says Naruto, "It's something about Sakura…isn't it? She's going to fight Madara, isn't she? Baa-chan, you can't let her leave us again. You can't." Since when did Naruto get so smart?

"Nonsense, Naruto," says Tsunade, "I would never leave Sakura behind."

"Then why is she getting her chakra unsealed?" asks Sasuke.

"Because we're in the middle of a war, Uchiha," says Tsunade. "Now, you two, I'm assigning you the mission of going around and telling everyone that we set out tomorrow at dawn. We're heading to Suna."

"What? I want to stay and fight!" says Naruto, "That's _our home_ Madara is trampling on! We're not just going to stand around and watch as he destroys it!"

"Stand down, Uzumaki," says Tsunade. She pauses. "Anyone and everyone who disobeys me will have their chakra sealed for the time being."

Her threat shuts both Sasuke and Naruto up. Scowls take over their features and they leave soon afterwards.

X

Sakura sits high up on a tree, watching her village walk around and chat with each other, trying to forget the fact that their home is being destroyed – all those memories, all those photographs, everything. She just hopes that tomorrow, there are still going to be memories to salvage.

She tries not to think about the fact that it is getting dark now, and in a few hours, everyone is going to leave without her. These could be her last few hours alive for all she knows.

"There you are," says Ino, walking up behind Sakura.

"You shouldn't be up here," says Sakura.

"Why not?" She sits down on a branch on the other side of the tree.

"You're pregnant."

"Exactly, I'm _pregnant_, not useless."

"Fine, fine."

"Well, what are you doing up here?"

"Just watching," she pauses, "And thinking."

"About?"

"My mom."

Ino looks down.

"Don't give me that look," says Sakura, "I'll miss her, but right now is not the time for that. Our home is currently being demolished by a monster. I'll mourn her death properly afterwards."

"She wouldn't want you to mourn."

"I need it."

Ino silences.

"I assume Tsunade-sama has already told you?"

"Told me what?"

"You guys are setting out at dawn."

"_You guys_?" Ino repeats. "You're not coming with us?"

"I'm staying behind to fight for our home."

"I'm staying with you."

"Ino, there's life in you. You're _not_ staying with me."

"I can't just leave you! We all can't just leave you!"

"If you stayed with me, and, god forbid, something happened to you and your baby, I wouldn't be able to live it down." Sakura shoots Ino a look. "You guys are going to let me stay and fight."

"But this is my battle as much as it is yours!"

"Ino, you're having a baby."

"Well, then," says Ino, a little flustered, "What about Naruto and Sasuke? It's their battle too!"

"They'll have to accept it. I'm not letting them die."

"Sakura, snap out of it! You can't do this alone!"

"No, Ino, you snap out of it! I am possibly the only one who can counter Madara's deadly attacks!"

"You – you can't be," says Ino, tears forming at her eyes.

"I'll try my best to live," says Sakura. She appears next to Ino and wraps an arm around Ino's shoulders.

"Promise me you'll come back," says Ino.

"I can't make such a promise," says Sakura, looking down. "…Don't tell Naruto."

"What about Sasuke?"

"…I won't let him get hurt."

Ino wraps her arms around Sakura. "You better come back! If you don't, I won't forgive you!"

X

"Sasuke-kun," says Sakura, appearing in a flurry of white feathers in front of Sasuke.

"Aa."

"…We need to talk."

Sasuke only nods in response. He turns and walks. He doesn't have to say anything for Sakura to know that he expects her to follow. Once they are a deeper into the forest, alone, he stops and turns to face her.

"What is it?"

Sakura takes a deep breath. "I…I know that – well, I noticed that something – something's changed in you. Towards me."

Sasuke looks down, but a second later, he looks at her again.

"I'm sorry if I did anything wrong and - " she continues.

"You didn't."

Silence.

"I wish you didn't say that," Sakura whispers lightly. "I wish you would at least blame me for something – it would make everything a lot easier."

"What - "

"Even after all of this, I…I can't forget the fact that you killed my grandfather."

"You're breaking up with me." It isn't a question.

"I'm sorry." She looks down at the ground. She can't meet his eyes.

"It's not because of Danzo…It's because of Itachi."

Sakura lifts her eyes at his words. "No it's not."

"You don't have to lie, Sakura," says Sasuke, "I see what is between you two."

"That's not it – " She won't have Sasuke thinking that his brother is the reason they're breaking up. She won't have him blame Itachi for this. These are all her sacrifices, not Itachi's. Itachi should have to shoulder any of this. He shouldered enough already.

"Lying doesn't suit you, Sakura." He then turns and walks away.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shouts after him, but he doesn't even turn around.

She'll just have to trust that Sasuke won't let her get in between him and Itachi. After all, it won't even matter anymore after she's gone – no, she won't think like that. As she watches Sasuke's retreating back, she apologizes repeatedly in her head. This is the only way for him to not get hurt in all of this. If he's mad at her, he won't follow her – he won't avenge her if she doesn't succeed. She just hopes that Sasuke isn't mad at Itachi too.

Sakura then feels a presence behind her. She turns, only to find Kakashi.

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura greets. "How long have you been there?"

"Since you deliberately tried to get Sasuke angry at you. You know you'd be able to forget Danzo's death sooner or later."

Sakura is silent.

"Why did you do it?"

"I needed him angry."

"Why?"

"Sensei, I'm staying behind," says Sakura, "Please don't tell him or Naruto."

"What? You're not staying behind. Tsunade-sama won't let you."

"I have her consent."

Realization dawns on Kakashi. "That's why she had your chakra released."

Sakura hesitantly nods.

"What is she thinking? You can't take on Madara alone!"

Just how many times is she going to have this conversation today?

"Please, Kakashi-sensei," says Sakura, "Just leave this alone."

"No, we are going to go find her right now."

Sakura isn't so sure that she has ever seen Kakashi so mad at Tsunade's decision. She watches as Kakashi turns around, ready to go find Tsunade.

"Kakashi, _please_." She drops the honorific. "Please. I want to protect all of you." Kakashi freezes, then, he slouches in defeat.

"I wouldn't be able to change your mind, would I?" asks Kakashi.

Sakura shakes her head. "No."

Kakashi nods slowly. He then reaches out and places his hand on top of one of her shoulders, giving it a light squeeze. "I'm sorry I wasn't a good sensei to you, then."

"You're speaking as if I'm going to die."

"I'm speaking as if this might be the last time we can."

"Always the truthful one."

"Aa."

"Then by all means, continue."

"You already ruined the mood."

"Sorry."

Silence.

"I didn't pay as much attention to you as I should have. For that, I am sorry." He pauses. "You came out strong in the end, anyways. In your own right, you are stronger than many ninja I have met in my lifetime. If you come back alive, I hope to challenge you to a spar."

"Okay, sensei."

"I think it is about time that you stop calling me sensei. We have long since been on equal ground."

"Okay, Kakashi."

X

Sakura walks past a bunch of civilians, looking for her father. No one has seen him for a while now and she is starting to grow worried - then, she spots his distinct trademark cherry-blossom shaped hair.

"Daddy!" she calls.

Recognizing his dear daughter's voice, he turns around, a smile plastered on his face. The smile, however, does not reach his eyes. After all, he has just lost his wife. He nods, acknowledging her presence. Sakura walks closer to him.

"Can we talk?"

"Anytime, princess."

"In private, please." Sakura eyes the mix of civilians and ninja her father was speaking to. Kizashi nods and motions for Sakura to lead the way. Sakura does so. She leads them towards the wooden area they currently called a dining space. Some medics/cooks were currently serving herbal tea to calm the nerves of civilians and soothe the anxiety of ninja. The two of them sit down at a table at the far corner, rather secluded. They wait until a wooden teapot and two small cups are placed in front of them.

"So what is it?" asks Kizashi, eyeing his daughter. She's acting stranger than normal.

"I...I don't want to lie to you."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm staying behind and fighting."

Silence.

"I know."

"You know?"

"It is something you would do. I figured that you'd be staying behind almost immediately after Tsunade said that your chakra is going to be unsealed."

"I see..."

"I know that...even if I tell you to come with all of us, you wouldn't."

Sakura pauses. "No. I wouldn't."

"Your mother and I raised a good daughter - a good, dutiful kunoichi. I'm proud."

Sakura starts tearing up.

"I'm sorry, daddy. I failed you."

"Hush, Sakura, I told you that you haven't failed me. I told you when you were little that you can never fail me. I will be proud of you no matter what."

Sakura leans forward on the table, slightly, to hide her tears.

"Thank you, daddy."

"Regardless of whether or not you succeed in defeating Madara, I will still be proud of you. I will pray and hope for your safety, but know that, no matter what, I will _always_ be proud of you."

"Thank you," Sakura whispers. Kizashi chuckles lightly, placing a hand on top of Sakura's head.

X

Time passes too fast, Sakura mulls. She watches as light starts to show over the horizon. She had tried her best to keep away from people for the past few hours ever since the disaster with Sasuke and her conversations with Kakashi and her father. She knows she should have looked for Mana and talked to her about it, but the more she thought about it, the more she thought leaving Mana with the villagers would help. If anything, Mana could pretend to be her – raise less suspicion.

She knows she should have gone to see Itachi as well, but she decided against that too. He would have fought to stay with her – to fight with her, even with his lack of words. She wouldn't have been able to get him mad at her like she did with Sasuke. Sasuke was always more emotionally driven than Itachi was. He doesn't stop to think as much as Itachi does – and that is what makes him easier to rile. She probably can't trick Itachi like she can Sasuke.

Then, speak of the devil, she senses Itachi's presence behind her.

"Sakura," he says.

"You shouldn't be here," says Sakura. She doesn't turn around to look at him.

"You've been avoiding everyone," he says, ignoring her statement.

"Not really."

"What are you planning?"

"Nothing really."

"…Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You - "

"I just want some time alone, Itachi, please."

Silence. She barely hears his light footsteps before fabric drapes over her shoulders.

"Okay," he whispers.

"Thank you," she responds.

He steps away from her, walking back to where everyone else is, but he turns back to look at her one final time before she is out of view.

Sakura looks at the fabric over her shoulders - a red scarf. She doesn't recall ever seeing it before, but the edges of the scarf are frayed, telling her that it is old. She feels tears prickle her eyes as she whirls around to look at him, but she can't see him anymore. She swallows, slowly, as she closes her eyes, trying to block the tears. Then, she opens her eyes again. All that can be seen is determination.

"I'm sorry, Itachi," she whispers softly as she dissolves into feathers to go find her clone.

He doesn't hear it.

And then, minutes later, Konoha sets out behind their Hokage and barely anyone realizes that Sakura is missing.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

A/N: I think you guys can all agree that I cannot write action to save a life. D; This chapter was rather hard to write... and it's shorter than the other chapters too. :( Anyways, I think this story will be over soon. At most three chapters left, probably.

* * *

Chapter 17

Rain is falling slowly, putting out the small embers left on the burnt skeletons of buildings. A man stands in the middle of it all. Realization hit him a little late. Whoever came up with this trick was intelligent and he _will_ get revenge for his wasted time. He stands in place, thinking of a method of revenge. He figures that the only person capable of using such a tactic against him is either Uchiha Itachi or Haruno Sakura.

And just like that, he figures out whom to take his anger out on.

He closes his eyes, sharpening his senses. Unluckily for his target, his senses are quite attuned to her chakra. He is quite taken aback when he realizes that she isn't far off. She must have anticipated this.

He quietly stalks towards her.

He soon realizes that she is walking towards him.

So he stops and waits.

X

Itachi stares at the girl in front of him.

That's not his scarf and that's not her.

So where is she?

He whirls around and looks back in the direction they came from.

There's no way…right?

He rushes back towards the direction he came from.

"Uchiha! Where do you think you're going?!" hollers the Hokage. "Someone stop him!"

His brother and the Copy-Ninja appear in front of him, blocking him from moving.

"Let me go," says Itachi.

"What for?" asks Sasuke.

"Sakura's back there," answers Itachi.

Sasuke's eyes widen briefly. He whirls around and looks at the pink haired girl. The clone. He should have known. He is about to move as well, but Kakashi's hand latches on to one of his arms and Naruto's latches onto the other.

"Sakura-chan didn't want you going after her," says Naruto.

"You _knew_?!" hisses Sasuke.

Naruto keeps quiet.

Ino watches from the sidelines. How did Naruto know? Sakura told her not to tell him, and she only said that she'd tell Sasuke. Kakashi, realizing that someone needs to hold onto Itachi, grabs onto Itachi's arm and releases Sasuke's.

"Hatake, Uzumaki, keep a close eye on these two. Let's continue," orders Tsunade. She then starts moving again. The village starts moving behind her.

Ino bites her lip.

_Please be okay, Sakura._

X

Sakura stands across from Madara. The two are moving slower than usual, after all, no one is going to disturb their battle – the battle between teacher and student.

"Mana – "

"It's Sakura."

"Fine. Sakura, what do you think you're doing?"

"I thought you didn't waste words."

He lets out a sarcastic chuckle. "It sure is a shame that I have to kill you."

With that, he disappears. Sakura looks around, putting her defenses up, ready to defend against whatever crazy attack the psychopath had for her.

X

Itachi stares down at the ground. He has to go. He has to go find her. He has to make sure that she is safe – that she is alive. He lost her once, he can't lose her again. He yells at his legs to move, to listen to him, but they don't. Kakashi's hand is still wrapped around his elbow with a vice-like grip, but that isn't why he can't move. His body just isn't listening. He wants to scream at himself, tell himself to turn around and go find Sakura, but his body won't listen. He knows that if he goes back to find her, Tsunade will be very mad and, though the woman is normally pretty lenient, she won't forgive his actions if he disobeys her. They need him here. He is possibly one of the strongest shinobi present.

But she could die.

Finally mustering the courage, Itachi whirls around, ready to go back.

"Kakashi-sensei!" yells Naruto.

Itachi and Kakashi deal blows at each other - kicks, punches, all of it.

But, before anyone could register what just happened, Ino had intercepted the fight, taking over Itachi's mind. Itachi is fighting back, however.

Hinata and Neji then walk up behind them, with Shizune. They begin the chakra sealing process. Either way, Itachi is still useful without chakra. Right now, however, it is best to keep him unconscious.

X

Madara is striking repeatedly at Sakura, but she keeps jumping backwards, avoiding his blows, knowing full well that the deadly chakra is concentrated around his fingers. Sakura grabs his wrist and aims a kick at his torso, but he vanishes. Sakura, looking around her, tries to locate him again.

He suddenly appears right behind her, grabbing the back of her neck. Sakura, however, dissolves into feathers.

"You've been training," Madara concludes.

"Did you think I was only going to sit around?"

"You feigned insanity," he continues.

Sakura doesn't answer. She solidifies again and aims a chakra-laced kick at him, but he easily dodges it. This goes back and forth until Madara decides to use his sharingan.

"I didn't teach you everything."

He catches Sakura in a genjutsu before she even realizes it.

She is being stabbed. The bones in her fingers are being broken one by one. Then her wrist. She screams as a kunai is dug into her stomach and twisted around. The simultaneous pain is too much to handle. Another two kunai dig into each of her thighs. She lets out a scream, but it doesn't sound. The scarf – Itachi's scarf – wraps tighter around her neck, choking her and silencing her. She –

When she manages to disable the genjutsu, Madara is in back of her, ready to deal the final blow. When Madara stabs down at her, she disappears into feathers.

"I should have never taught you that annoying jutsu."

"Yeah, yeah."

"I taught you everything you know, Sakura, it's impossible for you to defeat me."

"You didn't teach me everything." Sakura punches the ground and a huge crack in the ground races towards Madara. Madara simply jumps away.

"Ah, right, Tsunade was your teacher too. I trained you. I know your moves."

Sakura feels herself getting angry at his words. She races towards him, kunai in hand. The two of them start slicing the air in attempts to slice each other. The two of them know each other's patterns too well to be able to fight properly. Sakura knows she's highly overpowered, but she knows Madara's attacks and she has her own jutsu to avoid being hit by him.

It's a stalemate.

"They're all heading to Suna, aren't they?"

"Shut up."

She charges at him again, angrier. He, however, is still the same – a little amused and a very much uncaring about her. She may be standing in his way but she is not much of a threat. He knows that she will eventually run out of stamina and chakra and then he will be able to be on his merry way.

Knowing Sakura's white feather jutsu, he knows that she will eventually stop using it because she will have run out of chakra. She may even stop using it because she may be careless at times. So he will just have to keep trying to cut her. Seconds later, he succeeds in slicing her thigh, leaving a deep, long horizontal cut in the kunai's wake.

With blood pouring out of the cut, Sakura is slowed down quite a bit. The only way that she'll continue to avoid his attacks now is if she continues using her feather jutsu. He knows that the longer she has it in use, the more chakra she uses; after all, he helped her create the jutsu.

It really is such a pity that he has to kill her, he muses. She is standing in the way of his goal. She is standing in the way of this all being over, and despite her sheer talent – or is it determination – that he admires, he _cannot not _achieve his goal. He has been after it for so long that he cannot let one small pink-haired student stand in the way. She would not understand him. He had taught her for a year and he found himself somewhat proud of what she has become – fighting for her home, the home he helped create with the First Hokage, but his goal will always be more important than his ill-treated student.

In his momentary distraction, Sakura had sliced his arm, though rather a shallow cut. She is now aiming a chakra kick at her. He quickly dodges and jumps backwards. Then, he continues holding the kunai out, blocking all her attacks and trying to slice her at the same time. He considers using his gunbai to end this quicker since Sakura has never seen him use it, but he decides against it. He isn't on a time limit, after all. He might as well see if he trained Sakura well at all.

Besides, _he_ should be nearing the Konoha people by now.

X

"What do you mean Uchiha Itachi is gone?" asks Tsunade, a little furious and surprised at the same time.

"Inuzuka Hana henge'd into him," says Shikamaru.

Tsunade sighs. "Okay."

"What do we do now?" asks Shikamaru.

Silence.

"We leave it."

Just then, Kiba appears next to Shikamaru.

"Naruto is gone," he announces.

"What?!" yells Tsunade.

"It was a shadow clone," says Kiba.

Tsunade raises a hand to her forehead, massaging her temple with her thumb and index finger.

"…Okay," says Tsunade.

Kiba and Shikamaru look at each other. _That's it?_

"We're not sending anyone after them. Leave it," says Tsunade, "Keep an eye on the other Uchiha."

"Understood," the two jounin say.

X

Sakura had started breathing harder a while ago. She can't keep this up. She can only hope that the others are far enough to Suna that by the time she does run out of chakra, that they are already too far to Suna for Madara to even catch up to them. As her breathing gets harder and she starts slowing down, she tries her best to keep a calm mind. Growing desperate won't do her any good. _I can't defeat him_, she admits. She has known that she can't for a while now, but she still held out hope that those times when it was raining – those times she pretended to be mentally unstable – she hoped that those times she snuck out when she told everyone to leave her alone were enough.

Then, she realizes that she has been caught in a genjutsu again. Madara had tried to keep her from figuring out. He has realized that she has gotten tired – that her chakra is running low. She has been on the defensive because he has been continuously hacking at her with his kunai. She hadn't realized that he only aimed at three places in the same order – waist, shoulder, face, waist, shoulder, face.

By the time she dispels the genjutsu, he is at her back again, ready to deal the final blow. She finds that she is too tired, too drained to even activate her jutsu. She closes her eyes. Is this the end? She waits for the blow to come, but it doesn't. She feels Madara's slight warmth disappear from her back. She hears him land on the ground a few feet away.

"Itachi," he says.

Itachi glares at Madara, both of their sharingan activated. The two stand feet apart and stare each other down.

Sakura looks up at Itachi.

"Itachi?" she whispers.

X

Kakashi stares at the man in front of him. Tobi. He goes by Tobi now. He also isn't who he used to be. Gone is the happy-go-lucky boy that he once knew. Now he is Tobi. A man working under Madara – not the boy that Rin came to love – not the boy that changed his and Rin's lives. He somewhat hears Tsunade ordering ANBU to get all the civilians away.

"Hokage-sama, all of you should go," Kakashi says. He straightens out his forehead protector, revealing his sharingan – the other half of Tobi's.

"We're not leaving you, Hatake," says Tsunade.

"This is my fight. Just like Madara is Sakura's. Obito is mine."

Tsunade pauses.

"Let me fight for Konoha," he continues.

Gai steps up next to Kakashi. "I cannot let my eternal rival fight by himself. Tsunade-sama, Konoha's youthfulness needs you with them. What would they be without their lively Hokage? Go."

Tsunade looks down at the ground. They're right. Konoha needs her. She needs to be taking everyone to safety. Without her, there would be no order. She has to go.

"I'm staying with them," says Sasuke.

"Uchiha, walk. We're leaving," says Tsunade. Whoever came up with this team was a genius and a dumbass at the same time. Putting a bunch of stubborn people in the same team could not be good all of the time.

"Naruto and Sakura are both gone. I am not leaving Kakashi too," he continues.

"Me neither," says Sai. "We're staying."

"…Fine." Tsunade sighs. "Stay alive, boys."

The four shinobi nod and don't wait for her to leave before they all are on Tobi. Kakashi, however, shoots them all looks, telling them to back off. He will see himself how strong Obito has gotten. Besides that, he will not allow his comrades to get hurt. He will not stand by and allow that to happen ever again. Obito was his first mistake. He has since lost his original team. He _will not _allow for anything to happen to Sai and Sasuke.

He shoots Gai a look, telling him to take care of the youngsters in case he overlooks something.

Gai nods.

Kakashi knows fully well that Gai can take care of himself perfectly well. He doesn't have to worry for him. Gai would see his worry as an insult, right now at least. Maybe later on, he'd be flattered, but Kakashi doesn't really want to see a flattered Gai. His eyes wouldn't be able to take it.

When Sasuke, Sai and Gai are further out to the side, Kakashi looks at Tobi again. Kakashi barely notices as Sasuke disappears. He doesn't have to ask to know that Sasuke is running back to where his best friend, his brother, and his current lover are.

"Obito - "

"If you're going to apologize, you don't have to."

"It was my fault."

"Stop, Kakashi. After all of this, I'll be together with her again."

Confusion takes Kakashi by surprise. "What are you talking about?"

Tobi doesn't answer him and simply leaps forward, ready to attack Kakashi. Kakashi defends himself perfectly. "You don't have to do this, Obito. Konoha will welcome you back."

"I don't care."

"She can't come back! Rin is _dead_!"

Tobi doesn't answer him again. He continues attacking Kakashi, aiming a punch at Kakashi's stomach. Kakashi dodges and continues to dodge.

"Obito, please." Kakashi finally comes to terms with the fact that if he can't talk through to Obito, he might have to actually kill him.

Tobi continues attacking. "She can come back. That is all that matters."

X

Not taking his eyes off of Madara, Itachi gently wraps one of his hands around Sakura's arm and pulls her up.

"Are you okay?" he asks, voice uncharacteristically gentle despite the lack of tone.

Sakura nods. "How did you…?"

"I will explain later," he says. He then lifts her up bridal style and moves. Sakura lets out a slight squeak. She looks back at where they were standing a second ago. A crater.

Itachi sets her down at the side of the open field.

"Stay here," he says.

Sakura, unsure of what to say, reaches out to grab his sleeve, but he is already gone. He moves too fast. When he reappears, he is in front of Madara. The two of them are aiming a flurry of attacks at each other. Sakura isn't so sure who is on defense and who is on the offensive. She sees Madara's lips moving, but she can't hear him. She's too far away. She contemplates getting up and intruding, but she figures that she might actually just get in Itachi's way and –

She sees Madara preparing to use _the_ jutsu.

Itachi doesn't know.

Sakura feels time moving in slow motion as she gets up and rushes forward right as Madara's fingers reach out towards Itachi. Her legs scream for her to stop because they are tired, but Sakura doesn't care. She moves as quickly as she can, but it doesn't seem as if she is fast enough.

"Itachi!" she screams, "Move away!"

Sakura's breathing hitches as she watches as Madara's hand nears Itachi fast. _Why am I so useless? _Then, Madara's fingers are less than an inch away from Itachi's forearm –

Madara suddenly is sent flying away from Itachi before Sakura can even register it. Her arms wrap around Itachi from the side and she knocks him forward with her momentum.

She turns to look at Madara.

Instead, Sakura sees a familiar blonde.

Naruto.

Naruto flashes her a smile then continues towards Madara.

It's the smile that tells her that he can do anything.

Sakura shifts her focus from Naruto to Itachi, whose arms had wrapped around her when she wasn't paying attention. There is an unreadable look in his eyes.

Sakura then, realizes the position they are in – her sitting on top of him, arms wrapped around his waist. His arms are wrapped around her shoulders. And they are just _lying_ there. In the middle of a battlefield, while Naruto is fighting Konoha's main enemy.

She couldn't let go of him any faster. He, however, doesn't let go of her. He just continues to stare at her, his sharingan long since deactivated. His eyes seem to naturally turn it off whenever directed to her.

"Can you let go of me, please?" asks Sakura, quite silently. "We're in the middle of a fight…"

Itachi lets go of her. Sakura then quickly gets off of him.

"I'm sorry – that was – " Sakura stops as she stares at his hands. There's blood on them. "Itachi, are you hurt?" Itachi follows her gaze and looks down at his hands.

"What?" he asks.

"Your hands – there's blood!" she says. She gives his body a quick once-over. She can't see any wounds.

"Sakura – " Itachi doesn't get to say anything else. Sakura falls unconscious before he can complete another full thought. "Sakura!" He manages to catch her before she hits the ground. Checking her vital signs, he figures that she is not in immediate danger.

He lifts her up and quickly moves to the side. Hidden by the foliage, he sets her down.

But something is wrong.

Something is very wrong.

After all, there is no blood on his hands.

His eyes bleed red again.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

**A/N: Hi guys! Haha. Okay, so this is the...last chapter? There's going to be an epilogue. Anyways, so I decided not to write the whole fight scene since it would be _too darn epic that I do not have the level of skill to write such epicness,_ so I will leave most of it up to your imagination. :)**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter. I hope I didn't disappoint any of you. :(**

* * *

Chapter 18

It's too bright – that's her first thought when she opens her eyes.

Then, all her memories come rushing back to her. She shoots up in the bed she's laying in. _Itachi!_

Wait – she's in a bed?

She looks down at the bed she's on.

Pure white.

She looks to the wall with the windows.

Pure white.

She's in a hospital?

She props her elbows up behind her, ready to get up.

But then, an arm shoots out and pushes her back down onto the bed.

She looks to the owner of the arm.

"Sasuke-kun?" He has a bandage wrapped around his head, covering his right eye.

"Hokage said to rest."

"What happened? Why am I here? What happened to your eye? Where are Naruto and Itachi?"

He looks away. Fear settles in Sakura's stomach –

"Stop trying to scare her, Sasuke," says a feminine voice.

Sakura looks up.

Ino.

"Ino, where – "

"We're in Konoha."

"What…?"

Ino sits on the side of Sakura's bed. "It's all over. We're all fine now. You've been out for a while though."

"What – where are Itachi and Naruto?"

"They were somewhat hurt in the battle, but they'll be okay."

"Hurt?"

"Yeah, everything went fine after you blacked out."

"Why did I…?"

"You should have seen Itachi when he showed up in Suna. He seemed to be convinced that you were in worse condition than him, even though he, Naruto and Sasuke were all hurt. Tsunade only said you were under a genjutsu though."

"Oh." She looks to Sasuke. He was a part of the fight too?

He simply nods.

"See, what did I tell you? I told you that you shouldn't go through with this by yourself. If Naruto and Itachi both didn't disobey orders, you would have died and it wouldn't have been over."

"I'm sorry."

"Good-"

"Excuse her, Sakura," says Shikamaru, entering the room. "She's pregnant and it makes her meaner than usual." He nods at Sasuke in greeting.

"Shika, what're you doing here?" asks Ino, a smile lighting up her face.

"Tsunade said that you should be resting, didn't she?" asks Shikamaru.

"I am resting!" says Ino. "I'm not running around, am I? I've been _walking_ everywhere. Besides, I'm in a hospital. If anything happens, I'll be fine!"

Shikamaru sighs and shakes his head. Ino turns to Sakura.

"The only time he's not lazy is when he's bossing_ me_ around. Imagine that. _He _bosses _me _around," she whispers. Sakura giggles lightly and nods. Shikamaru lets out another sigh and walks over to Ino. He wraps one hand around her arm and helps her up, wrapping his other arm around her waist.

"Sorry, Sakura, but she's been freaking out since you haven't woken up yet. I'm going to take her back to rest. She'll see you soon," says Shikamaru. He nods at Sasuke again and heads out the door.

"See you later, Saks!" says Ino.

"No, it's fine," says Sakura, smiling at him, "See you, Ino."

"Stop it, Shikamaru, I can walk perfectly fine!" Sakura hears Ino scream at Shikamaru after she is out of the room. Sakura giggles lightly at the married couple. Soon, it is silent.

"Sasuke-kun," she says, "I'm sorry I lied to you."

"I understand why you did," he says, not looking at her, but rather, out the window.

"I'm sorry."

"Stop it, Sakura." He sighs. "I lied too."

She looks at him, eyebrows raised in surprise and question.

"I have been acting differently towards you," he starts. "What Itachi feels towards you...I can't compete with it. And the fact is he's my brother. He gave up so much for me. Everyone knows how much he has done for me...and I realized that I can't fight for you – not this battle, at least."

Sakura looks down at her hands on her lap. "I see."

"That is all," he says, "I'll go see the dobe now." He then gets up and places a hand on her shoulder. "Please take care of him."

Sakura nods, understanding his meaning. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun," she whispers. "For everything."

"Anytime, Sakura," he says, right before leaving the room.

Like a weight has just been lifted off her shoulders, she lies in her bed and waits a while, simply listening to the slight humming of the wind outside her window. She feels at peace again. No more threats to Konoha. No more Madara. She will have to ask for details later, but right now, she just wants to enjoy this lack of distress. She closes her eyes. She almost dozes off, but she doesn't because someone enters the room. She doesn't have to open her eyes to know who it is. She knows that he is simply standing off at the side, watching her like he likes to.

"Why do you do that?" she asks with her voice soft and airy.

"Do what?" he asks. She hears him walk closer to her.

"Stare at me." He puts a hand over one of hers'.

"Hm."

"That's not an answer."

Her eyes are still closed.

"Aa."

"You're not going to answer me, are you?"

"No."

She opens her eyes and looks up at him. She realizes that he looks tired – a little aged.

"You cut your hair." His hair is still fairly long, but not long enough for him to keep it in his low ponytail anymore. His hair simply falls around his face, the strands dark and straight.

"Aa."

"Why?"

"No choice but to do it after the fight."

"…How long have I been out?"

"A while."

"What's 'a while'?"

"Two weeks."

"Two weeks? How is that possible?"

"The genjutsu was strong."

"Oh." She pauses. "What happened after I blacked out?"

"Your friends and I defeated Madara."

"That's it? You guys are fine?" She gives his body a cursory inspection. He looks fine. He looks mostly the same – except for the cut hair.

"Aa."

She nods and closes her eyes again. "Are you tired?"

"You were wrong, you know?"

Her eyes snap open. "About what?"

"Madara."

"What do you mean?"

"He wasn't evil either."

"How…?"

"All he wanted to do was capture all of us in a genjutsu."

"A mass genjutsu? That doesn't sound evil to you?"

He feels her fingers twitch a little under his hand.

"A genjutsu that keeps us all peaceful forever. No war. No fighting. Just peace."

Sakura is speechless. She saw the burnt buildings. How is that possible? Unless…she was trapped in a genjutsu already? How is that…?

"He's about just as evil as your grandfather was."

Sakura pauses. She is about to talk back, yell at him even, but then she realizes. She hadn't thought about it like that and she figures he is right. Danzo thought that Konoha would be safer, better, under him. Madara thought that everyone had to be under a genjutsu to be peaceful. He simply didn't want to see any fights anymore, just like everyone else.

"…Well…where is he?"

"Eliminated." Sakura cringes a little at his choice of vocabulary.

"And Kabuto?"

"Eliminated." Sakura turns over in her bed and puts her other hand over Itachi's hand.

"Why are you talking like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like you don't care at all. Like life and death don't matter to you."

"…I apologize."

"Did something happen?"

Itachi doesn't answer. He looks away from her face and stares out the window.

"Itachi, look at me."

He looks at her again.

"You didn't answer me."

He quirks an eyebrow. The rest of his face remains emotionless.

"What happened?"

"Nothing."

Sakura begins sitting up, only to have some trouble due to the fact that she hasn't moved much in the past two weeks. Itachi lets go of her hand and helps her sit up. He is moving rather mechanically, obviously not used to taking care of someone else. She pulls Itachi's arm slightly, telling him to sit down.

"Something happened…what is it?"

"It's nothing."

He averts his eyes. Sakura looks down as well.

"Are we going to do this again?"

"…What do you mean?"

"You're pushing me away again. I can tell."

Silence.

"I'm not pushing you away." He takes her hand in his again, looking in her eyes again. "Sorry. I don't want to talk about it."

Silence.

"Okay," she says. She sighs slightly. She understands that he will eventually tell her, hopefully. "Well, Kabuto…is dead?"

"Mana killed him."

"_Mana_ did?"

"Aa."

"But she's in love with him…"

"She learned of what Kabuto did to you."

"Oh…Well, where is she now?"

He shrugs slightly. "She left."

"Left?"

"Aa. In the middle of the night, she disappeared."

"I see."

"She did leave this," he holds out an envelope with his other hand. "For you."

"…What is this?"

He shrugs again. She takes the envelope and opens it.

_Sakura,_

_I'm sorry for everything. I really am. I won't ask for your forgiveness. I know that I have done too much wrong to even dream of being forgiven. However, I thank you for the kindness you and your people have shown. _

There are two drops on the paper. Seems like Mana was crying when writing the letter.

_I didn't know what he did to you. I wish he had remained the kind man I thought he was, or wish he was. I killed him. I know that this doesn't make up for anything, but I just had to…for my own conscience to feel better. I wish we got to know each other better. I wanted to know more about your life, but I think that if I were in your position, I wouldn't like that so much. I'm starting to ramble. Sorry. And…thank you. _

_ I will leave and change my name. It is yours, after all. _

_Nameless_

Sakura looks at the letter, feeling nothing. She doesn't feel sorry for Mana. She doesn't even care much at all. Sakura knows that she shouldn't blame Mana for what happened to her mother, but she can't help it. She can't bring herself to care for the girl any more than a stranger cares for another stranger. She folds the letter back up and places it back into its envelope, then, she places it aside.

"Done already?" He is looking at her again. His hand is over her shoulder, rubbing circles with his thumb gently.

"It wasn't long."

"Hm."

"You didn't answer me before."

He quirks an eyebrow.

"Are you tired?"

He shrugs.

"You look 10 years older than I remember."

"I guess so."

"Why?"

"It's been two weeks."

She doesn't need him to elaborate. She should have known that he would be extremely worried if she hadn't woken up in two weeks. No wonder why he looks older. He probably hasn't slept much. She scoots over on the hospital bed, moving away from his hand. She then pats the space she just emptied up. Itachi pauses for a second, and then he climbs into the bed with her. It is a little narrow on her bed, but Sakura snuggles closer to him, letting her head rest near his chest and her arms around him. He wraps his arms around her, protectively, also letting her use his arm as a pillow.

And it is the moment that everything changes between them. It is the moment that Sakura gives him a second chance. It is the moment that allows them to finally acknowledge their feelings towards each other without being in danger, for once. It is the moment that marks the start of whatever they call their relationship.

"I heard that you kissed Hana." She hears his heart nearly stop at her words and fights the urge to giggle.

"Aa."

Before she can say anything else, he continues.

"You've kissed my brother – we're only even."

Sakura sighs. "Don't you hold that against me."

"Hm."

Sakura can't help the smile that lights up her face. She is still curious about what had happen that changed Itachi's view on life and death, but she'll wait until he's ready to tell her. Right now, all she can do is try to help him in whatever way she can without making him uncomfortable. She can only be here for him. She can only hope that that is enough…because she doesn't know whether or not she can deal with going through another heartbreak.

"Can you tell me the story behind your red scarf?" She lets go of him slightly and looks up at him.

He isn't in much of the mood to talk, but the smile on her face and the fact that she understood that he doesn't want to talk about the fight much makes him speak.

"I got that scarf when…"

It is the moment that they realize that, despite all the complications along the way, their relationship is fairly simple. It is undefined as of yet, but he loves her and she loves him, that's all that matters.

X

"We have to seal up your chakra again, Sakura," says Tsunade, "Suna has understood that we unsealed it for the reasons we had, but they want it to be sealed again, just in case."

"I understand," says Sakura.

Tsunade smiles slightly. "Okay. You're welcome to work at the hospital instead."

"I'll think about it."

"Good."

Sakura smiles and gives Tsunade a hug. "Thank you for understanding me before."

"No problem." Tsunade hugs her back. The two let go seconds later. "If you don't accept the job, what are you going to do?"

Sakura shrugs. "I don't know yet…To be honest, I want to retire."

"You're only 18, Sakura."

"I know."

Silence.

"I understand." Tsunade sees that Sakura has aged more in the past three years than she should have. Sakura doesn't want to see death anymore. She probably just wants to take care of her father and live her life – a normal life. "But, if I ever actually need you, five years from now, I am forcing you out of retirement."

Sakura smiles slightly. "If I'm not completely rusty by then, I'll be glad to help. And who knows, by then, I may be bored of the civilian life."

"Your lover won't let you get rusty, I hope."

Sakura blushes slightly.

"Which reminds me," says Tsunade, elbowing Sakura teasingly, "How far have you guys gone? It has been a month since…you know."

"Shishou!" Sakura admonishes while blushing.

"Oh shush, I was just curious," says Tsunade, "An old lady like me needs some entertainment sometimes." Sakura laughs slightly. "Now that you're so called 'retired', I hope that you'll still come to visit me."

"Of course I will."

"Actually, now that Shizune is engaged, why don't you come and be her replacement?"

"Really? To who?"

"Yes. She's engaged to Genma."

"When did that happen?"

"I don't know, so how about it?"

"I'll think about it."

"Fine, fine," says Tsunade, waving a hand back and forth. She knows that Sakura is going to take the job anyways. Soon, Sakura is about to leave. "Sakura, wait."

Sakura stops in her steps and turns around. "What is it, Shishou?"

"I'm planning on stepping down next year."

"Next year? Didn't you just say that I was going to be forced out of retirement if you need me five years from now?" Tsunade lets out a slight laugh.

"Don't tell anyone," Tsunade says, "But Naruto is going to be my successor."

"I figured," says Sakura.

"He'll only be 19. Do you think that's too young?"

"No. Naruto was born ready. It's in his genes."

"True…"

"If anything, I can just help him. I've been under you long enough to know all the workings."

"If I could, I would name you my successor," Tsunade mutters.

"No, I can't," says Sakura, "You know I can't. My reputation isn't as good as it used to be. Besides, I have no desire to be Hokage. Naruto is _the one_."

"I know, I know," says Tsunade, "I was just rambling."

"You can also start training him now," says Sakura.

"I want to surprise him," says Tsunade. "I'll just settle with training you in being his advisor. You can be on the council." Sakura's eyes widen slightly.

_Danzo was on the council._ Sakura smiles slightly. She'll be succeeding her grandfather.

"Okay."

Tsunade smiles at the look on Sakura's face. She knew that it would make Sakura very happy.

"Okay, you may go now. I bet the Uchiha is waiting for you."

Sakura smiles and walks towards the door. "I'll be back soon, Shishou."

"You'll start tomorrow. Meet Anko tomorrow afternoon for the sealing."

Sakura nods and exits.

X

"Itachi?" Sakura calls out as she enters the flat. "You here?" She takes off her shoes and walks around, searching for her lover.

"I'm in here," says a voice. Sakura follows the sound and finds him in his room. He is lying on his bed with his arm over his eyes.

"What's wrong?" asks Sakura, sitting on the side of the bed. "Your eyes hurt?"

"Just tired," he responds.

"You didn't do much today though," says Sakura. She leans over and puts the side of her face to his abdomen, looking at him from there. He moves his other arm to her hair and strokes his fingers through her hair.

"I know."

"So what's wrong?"

"I don't know."

Sakura sits up straight. Itachi's hand falls away from her hair. He moves his arm slightly off of his eyes to look up at her. She looks worried. "I'm fine, though."

"Do you feel sick? Hurt anywhere?"

"I'm fine," he repeats.

Sakura doesn't look convinced. She then holds out a glowing hand - might as well take advantage of the fact that her chakra isn't sealed yet. Itachi knows better than to interrupt her, after all, in the past month, they have argued over the stupidest things, from defining their relationship to whether or not cereal should go in the bowl first or milk. He normally is very amused by their arguments, but he'd rather not get into an argument with her right now.

"You're fine," she says after her diagnosis.

"I told you," he says.

"Well excuse me for caring about you," she says without any tone of anger. She lies down next to him and snuggles up to his side.

He smiles a little, which causes her to smile as well.

"Then what's wrong?" she asks.

"Just tired," he says.

"Of what?"

"Not of you."

"Don't be so mushy."

"I'm not."

She lets out a laugh. "So what are you tired of?"

"Fighting."

"With me or just in general?"

"In general."

"Yeah, because you just love fighting with me, right?"

"No, I hate it."

"You're telling me you don't enjoy our arguments?"

"Not when you actually get mad."

"I'll never get mad enough to leave you. There's no such thing."

"I know."

She smiles wider. "So you're tired of fighting? Why don't you retire?"

"I've thought about it."

"I already retired."

He looks at her, surprised.

"Yeah," she repeats, "But I'm still going to help Tsunade-sama."

"Hm."

"Are you sure you want to retire? You've been fighting your whole life…won't you feel a little empty? Bored?"

"...That's why I haven't done it yet."

"Well, I'm fine with whatever you do."

"I don't want to kill anymore."

"I know."

"Being a shinobi includes killing."

"Well, there are lots of jobs that require minimal killing though," says Sakura, thinking, "For example, Iruka-sensei's job. He rarely even fights. Or Kakashi's, Gai's and their job. They only kill when they're on missions. And…I doubt Tsunade-sama will send you on missions that require it unless absolutely necessary. After all, you're not exactly the most unrecognizable face. People see you and run."

"Hm."

"Think about it," says Sakura, "You can still be a shinobi without having to kill. I'm sure Tsunade-sama will understand if you ever have to reject a mission that requires killing. Maybe you can even take a little genin team. I might, though, a few years from now."

He nods and wraps and arm around her.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being here."

"Thank you, then."

"For what?"

"For saving my life on countless accounts."

Itachi smiles again. He has been doing it a lot recently – not just because of Sakura, but also because of Sasuke. The two people he loves most are both by his side – both alive and well.

He looks at Sakura, who is obviously dozing off in the safety of his arms. He places a small kiss on her forehead and continues looking at the love of his life. He doesn't know when he would be able to say the words, but she understands him to the point that she doesn't need him to say the words. Even amidst arguments, she would never doubt his love for her. And vice versa.

And for once in a long, long time, he's happy again. Really, really happy. Nothing to worry about. Sakura had given him enough options for him to put down his worries. He likes this feeling – this feeling of content.

X

It is barely bright out yet. Itachi cracks an eye open at the first sign of sunlight. Old habits die hard, he guesses. He slept poorly for years since he was 13 – or maybe even before then. He isn't very sure. He has always had trouble sleeping. He used to wake up multiple times during the middle of the night at even the slightest of sounds. The only times he remembers not having problems sleeping was when Sakura and he were back in the cabin together. And only recently has he been able to sleep until daylight.

He turns slightly and looks at the girl who fell asleep next to him the night before. Unconsciously, he lifts a hand to trace her features with feather-light touches. A little more than a year ago, he would have never thought that she would be next to him again. He thought she was dead. He saw her die. He caused her to die then. It was one of his greatest regrets a year ago. Now, a year later, not only is she alive, but she is also next to him – close to him.

If she were to disappear again, he wouldn't be able to take it, at least he doesn't think so. Just the thought of her not being in the same world as him hurts. Before, when she was with his brother, he couldn't even stand the sight of them together despite the fact that he pushed her to Sasuke. Now, he doesn't think he can let her go. He doesn't want her to go anywhere. He wants her to stay right beside him.

Which brings his thoughts to the fight between Naruto, Sasuke, Madara and himself. He can't tell Sakura of what happened. He can't tell Sakura that he almost was swayed by his relative. He can't tell her that he almost betrayed their home. He isn't sure that she would understand. Just like how she would never tell him what happened to her during her time away, he can't tell her what happened during the fight. They care about each other too much to tell each other. He knows that Sakura knows that if she were to tell him what happened during her disappearance, Itachi might just go crazy. He doesn't need to be told that she was raped. He doesn't need her to tell him that. He doesn't know if he would be able to take it. And she understands that, so she doesn't tell him. He doesn't ask. He doesn't want to know. So he won't tell her what happened during the fight. She wouldn't be able to take the thought of Itachi almost betraying Konoha again because of Madara's manipulation of Itachi's feelings towards her.

"Mmm," Sakura mumbles. Itachi's eyes focus on her face again. He had considered telling her that when he gazes at her, sometimes he is simply thinking while looking in her direction.

Being with her helps him clear his thoughts.

And she is waking up.

"You're awake early," she says, her voice raspy with sleep.

"Aa," he responds. His voice is raspy as well.

"Can't sleep?" she asks, rubbing her eyes gently with her hands.

"No," her answers, "I'm fine."

"You only slept a few hours though…"

"I slept enough. It's not like I have lots of things to do."

Silence.

A smile slowly shows up on Sakura's face as she stares at him.

He finds himself smiling with her.

"You're very handsome."

Sakura has realized over the past month that Itachi has more emotions than he let on. He is capable of actually smiling a real smile. He is capable of feeling true happiness and he is also capable of feeling embarrassment. Though Itachi can be very forward with his words, he seems to feel embarrassed whenever Sakura outwardly shows her affection. She watches as light blush appears on his pale face, and she smiles wider.

"You don't hide anymore."

"Hm."

Sakura keeps the smile on her face as she hugs him tighter, snuggling closer to him. He feels a warm feeling take over his chest, forcing him to forget his secret. The two lay there, limbs entangled, for a while. They do that a lot – just be there and enjoy the other's company.

"I wanted to ask you something," he suddenly says.

"What is it?" She lets go of him a little and looks up at him.

"Why do you…" he struggles to find the words.

"Love you?" she completes his question.

He looks away and nods.

"It's a long list."

"I want to know."

"Because you understand me better than anyone else. Because you've been through so much in your 23 years – more than some people ever go through in their whole lifetime. Because you care about the same things and same people that I do." She counts them on her fingers as she speaks. "Because you like to read and can spend a whole day with me in the library. You're one of the first people I've met that can do that, you know?"

She smiles again.

"That wasn't that long."

"That wasn't all."

He smiles a little.

"Because you understand that your clan did wrong in hurting my family just as I understand that my grandfather ruined yours and Sasuke's lives – and you never held the fact that Danzo is my grandfather against me in any way." She pauses. "Also, you protect me, not because you think I'm weak, but because you _care_. I love all the people who do that." She pauses again.

"Hm."

"That's still not all."

He smiles again.

"This list goes on and on, are you sure you want to hear it all?"

"Maybe a few more."

"Okay," she says, "I love you because of your natural sense of justice and the ferocity you show in protecting the things you care about. I love you because you are willing to give up so much simply for someone you care about. I love you for all that you've done for Sasuke-kun and Konoha." She pauses. "Most of all, I love you simply because I am in love with you." She gets up slightly and brings her lips to his in a small kiss. "Simple as that."

Sakura then snuggles up to him again, burying her head in his chest.

He muses over the fact that, with Sakura, the warm feeling never goes away. She deserves much better, he tells himself. She deserves someone that can tell her than he loves her.

"I lo…" He finds it hard. The last time he said those three words, they were to his parents, right before he killed them.

"You don't have to say it back," Sakura interrupts, her voice soft. "I know. Even without you saying it. I know. You don't have to push yourself so hard."

Silence.

Her words hang in the air between them.

He smiles. He never knew how much he wanted to hear those words until now. He's been pushing himself ever since he was a child and now, someone has finally told him that there is no need.

So, the next breath he takes feels like the first.

"Thank you, Sakura."


	19. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Epilogue

_Five years later…_

A tiny hand grabs onto another tiny hand.

"What're they doing to my mommy?" a little girl asks, "Why is she in pain?"

"My mom said that she's being freed," says the little boy that the little girl is holding hands with.

"Freed from what?" she responds.

"I don't know," the little boy lies. He'd rather not explain it to her. It's too troublesome.

"Hey! Asuma, what are you telling Miyuki?" yells a voice.

A 23 year old Ino steps up next to the little children and ruffles little Asuma's pineapple styled brown hair. Looking at his blue eyes, she sends him a look. Asuma looks down. He hates it when his mom gives him 'the look.'

"She's worried about her mom," Asuma mutters.

"Oh, she is, is she?" says Ino. She then turns to the little raven haired girl. "Miyuki-chan, your mommy is fine. You'll see. Right now, she may be in pain, but it'll all be worth it. She'll be able to do what your daddy does soon."

"But she's in pain...Pain is never good..."

Ino curses in her mind. How does she explain someone getting their chakra unsealed.

"Miyuki-chan, are you hungry?"

The little girl shakes her head.

"Where are your brothers, Miyuki-chan?"

"Mamo-chan is with Sasu-ji. I don't know where Shisui is."

Ino sighs. Miyuki averts her green eyes from the pretty auntie. She doesn't want to look up. Past the pretty auntie is her mommy writhing in pain. Her mommy had told her that she'd be fine, but then why does she look so uncomfortable? She can't wrap her four-year-old mind around it.

"Okay, Asuma, can you take Miyuki away from here? Get her some candy and then look for Shisui."

Asuma nods and drags Miyuki away. Ino sighs after they leave. She should have known when Miyuki was born that she would only listen to her own son, Asuma.

"Ino!" someone screams for her. Ino turns around and sees Sasuke and Naruto. Naruto is running towards him. A baby is in his arms.

"What do I do? He's crying!"

"Ask Sasuke, shouldn't he know?"

"No, Sakura and Itachi take care of their own spawn. He doesn't know shit!"

"Language, Naruto!" Ino scolds. She then takes the baby from Naruto's arms and holds the baby expertly. The baby calms down as soon as he sees Ino. "You should really learn to take care of your nephew, Sasuke."

"Shut it," says Sasuke. He looks away from Ino.

"Sasuke isn't going to get married anytime soon, so he doesn't have to worry yet," says Naruto.

Ino laughs a little and walks around in circles, cooing to the baby.

"Have you guys seen Shisui? Asuma and Miyuki don't know where he is."

"I saw him with Seina before," says Sasuke.

Ino opens her mouth and gapes.

"No way in hell is Sakura's son stealing my daughter away already! Her daughter already stole my son!"

"I heard that, Ino!" yells a voice.

Ino, Naruto and Sasuke turn around and look at Sakura. She stands up with the help of Anko and Shizune. Stretching, Sakura feels her blood and chakra run through her body again. Trying to stay still for so long definitely is not good for her body. She bows respectfully at the two and then walks towards her friends. The two older women walk off chatting with the other shinobi.

"Your son is not stealing my daughter away from me. She's only four!"

"Yeah, and my son is five! So? Your son is four and he's going after my two year old daughter!" She hands the calm baby over to Sakura despite their arguing.

Sakura glares at Ino. "We will talk about this when the children aren't around."

Ino smiles at the sight of Sakura holding her child.

"So when is he back?" asks Sasuke.

"Today. Later today," says Sakura, smiling. "Where's Hinata, Naruto?"

"She went out with Kiba and Shino," says Naruto.

"You let your fiancée out with her two male friends without you?" asks Ino.

"What are you talking about, Ino," says Sakura, "Don't put thoughts in his head. He has the power to actually do something about it now."

"Under false pretenses," Sasuke mutters.

"Stop it, guys," says Naruto, chuckling rather nervously. "I wouldn't do anything like that."

"Alright, alright," says Ino.

"So what is the mighty Hokage doing out talking to us peasants anyways?" Sakura says with mock respect. Sasuke smirks and Ino laughs in response. Naruto scowls a little.

"You asked Sasuke to watch over little Mamoru over here," says Naruto, shrugging slightly.

"Let me guess, he started crying and you didn't know what to do," says Sakura.

"Bingo," says Ino.

"I knew I should have asked Tsunade-sama instead," says Sakura.

"Too bad, Sakura," says Naruto, "She is at a council meeting right now."

"And you aren't there…because?" asks Sakura.

"Because they are discussing me," says Naruto, shrugging.

"Oh?" asks Sakura, "What about you?"

"I wouldn't know," says Naruto. "Tsunade-baa-chan and Kakashi-sensei refuse to tell me anything and you're my only key into the council…"

"Sorry I had to get my chakra unsealed today," says Sakura, sticking her tongue out at him. "Anko-san and Shizune were both only free today."

Naruto sighs. "Anyways, we'll head back now then. Lots of stuff to do."

"Okay," says Sakura, smiling. She then lifts one of her son Mamoru's little hands and helps him wave at his uncle and Hokage. Ino smiles and waves at them as well.

After the two leave, Sakura looks at Ino.

"Well, where's Miyuki and Asuma-kun?"

"I told them to go look for Shisui-kun."

"Who…is with Seina-chan…"

"Yeah…"

"I knew our children should have never met."

"No, you wanted them to meet. I never wanted them to meet."

"I can already see it…Seina and Shisui. Blonde-haired, green-eyed sharingan-wielding children…"

"Don't even go there, forehead."

Sakura laughs lightly as the two of them start walking.

"Well I haven't seen you around as much lately, forehead. What have you been up to besides shooting babies out like a canon?"

"Don't use that language around my baby, Pig."

"Forehead, he's a newborn. He can't understand or remember."

"I still don't want you tainting his beautiful ears."

"Fine, fine." Ino holds her hands up in surrender.

"If Shisui is with Seina-chan…then they're probably at your house…" Sakura thinks out loud.

"Unless he kidnapped my baby."

"Shisui is a gentleman. He wouldn't do that."

"Shisui-kun is four. Gentleman my a-"

"If Itachi finds out that you're using such language around Mamoru, he's gonna make it more difficult for Shikamaru's team. Just saying. Oh, not only that. Sasuke will probably have ANBU after your head."

"I knew that having Sasuke as an ANBU captain was a bad idea."

Sakura laughs slightly.

"So when do you think he's going to settle down?"

"Why does it matter, Pig? He's only 23."

"_We're_ only twenty three, and look at our children."

"Well, you had to get married and settle down because you were pregnant at 18."

"You too."

"Yeah, but Itachi was 23."

"Either way, you guys didn't plan it."

"Whatever."

"Oh yeah, you're going to have to explain to Miyuki-chan about the unsealing and sealing process."

"I guess…I think she'll be joining the academy next year."

"Asuma told her that you were being 'freed.'"

"Your son definitely inherited Shikamaru's old way of explaining things."

"Definitely."

Sakura sighs.

"So what have you been up to?"

"It's not like you don't know, neighbor."

Ino lets out a laugh. "I guess we shouldn't have moved in next door either."

"Well, you thought it'd be easier for me to babysit if I was right next door."

"You're the only retired one, you're the only one that is free most of the time."

"Excuse me, I am an honorary council member."

"Yeah, yeah." Ino lets out another laugh. "So what are you planning on doing now that your chakra is completely free?"

"I don't know."

"I can see that you've been getting restless, Sakura."

"I don't know. Maybe I'll ask to do some missions."

"Good."

"But either way, Team 7 can never have another mission together again until Naruto steps down."

"True, but you can always go on a mission with Sai and Sasuke."

"With those two? Are you kidding me?"

"Oh come on, they've gotten better at communicating."

"Sure, with us, but _not with each other_."

"I guess...oh yeah, I heard that Sasuke has his eyes on Hanabi."

"Hanabi? Hyuuga Hanabi?"

"Didn't expect that, did you?"

Sakura shakes her head. "She's five years younger..."

"Like how you're five years younger than Itachi," Ino teases.

"Oh shush."

"They're so alike. The brothers."

Sakura looks down at her baby boy. "I hope they'll be as close as Sasuke and Itachi are."

"They will be. It runs in the family, doesn't it?"

"Yeah." She is suddenly reminded of Madara tale - of how much he loved his brother as well.

Then, something prickles at Sakura's senses. She looks up and stops in her steps.

"What is it, forehead?"

A smile breaks out on Sakura's features.

"He's back."

"I'll take Mamoru-kun back."

"Thanks, Ino," says Sakura as she hands her son over to Ino.

"I know, I know, just go."

Sakura smiles and rushes off.

X

"Itachi-sensei," says the little girl of the team Sarutobi Akai – Yuuhi Kurenai's child. Even at 8 years old, she has already surpassed both of her parents who both graduated the academy at 9. Akai did so at 7. He could still remember Sakura's expression when she found out that Akai was on Itachi's team instead of Shikamaru's. She'll probably never stop the competition with Ino.

"What is it?" asks Itachi.

"Can we take a break before the next mission?" she continues. The other two male teammates start complaining. They don't want to take a break. They only recently began getting harder missions.

"Why is that?" he asks.

"I want to spend some time with my mother."

"Okay. I'll let the Hokage know."

"Thank you, sensei," she says as she bows.

The little girl must have felt that she needed to stay home and be with her mother, who only has her. He understands. There are times that he wishes that he could stay home and be with Sakura and his children. After a week-long mission, he is ready to take a break.

"You are not allowed to slack off on your training. Ask your mother for help with your genjutsu."

"Understood."

"Have fun," he says. She smiles and rushes ahead. They could already see the entrance to Konoha already. Akai's two other teammates rush behind her. They may not always agree with the younger girl, but they understand that they are older and that they should protect her whenever they can, being the gentlemen they are.

Itachi could see a familiar figure standing at the entrance. Spotting him, Sakura rushes forward, out from under the gates. He continues walking as she runs towards him. Reaching him, she leaps on him, wrapping her legs around his waist, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. He locks his arms under her rear, keeping her up as he continues walking. She crashes her lips over his and kisses him passionately. He finds it harder to walk when she is kissing him, so he stops walking.

"Welcome back," she says as she releases his lips and smiles at him.

"Aa," he says, smiling back at her.

He continues walking as she wraps her arms around his neck tightly.

"Iruka-sensei told me that Shisui is currently top of the class right now."

"He's only four, Sakura."

"Yeah, I know." She unwraps her arms. Resting her hands on his shoulders, she pushes him away slightly so that she can look at him while speaking.

"He's younger than the rest of them. I don't want him being pressured or anything."

"Oh calm down, he won't be."

"He will feel pressured."

"No, he won't. He'll be fine."

"Sakura."

"Itachi."

Itachi sighs. Sakura smiles and hugs him tighter. "If you're so worried, you shouldn't have let him join so early."

"Sasuke and your friend said that he should join early since he's _our_ child."

Sakura giggles slightly at the memory of Naruto and Sasuke sitting the couple down and asking for Shisui and Miyuki to be enrolled in the academy earlier than other children, mainly because of who the twins' parents are and because the two were more than qualified to enter already. Shisui had insisted that he join early. Miyuki asked to join too, but Sakura, Itachi, Tsunade and Kizashi all forbid it.

"You can ask him if he feels pressured. I think he sincerely enjoys it all though."

"I don't want our son growing up sooner than he has to."

"He won't. I'll make sure of it. _We'll_ make sure of it."

He smiles. "When are you going to get down?"

"Fine, fine." Sakura unwraps her legs and Itachi lets go of her. Sakura stands up in front of him. "I'm glad your back."

Itachi smiles again. "How is Mamoru?"

"He's great. Adorable. His hair is starting to grow."

"Not pink, right?"

"What's wrong with pink hair?"

"Nothing is wrong with it on you or Miyuki, if her hair ever suddenly turns pink, but my _sons_ will _not_ have pink hair."

"Fine, fine." Sakura pouts as the two of them start walking leisurely next to each other. "It's dark red – like a maroon color."

"If it gets any lighter…"

"It won't."

"It better not, Sakura." Sakura stops in her steps and grabs his arm, stopping him.

"Or what? You'll divorce me?"

Itachi simply smirks and continues walking after unlatching Sakura's arm.

"What does that mean, Itachi?!" She rushes up to him and stands in front of him. "What does that mean?" Itachi leans down slightly and kisses her lightly.

"It means I'm in love with you."

Sakura stands there in complete shock. When it all registers in her mind, she chases after him again.

"Itachi, can you repeat that?"

They don't see nor notice the green eyes staring at them from the forest.

THE END

* * *

**Thank you all for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. :) I hope that the ending didn't seem very rushed to all of you. :( **

**I would like to write another story sometime, but I haven't been hit with a good plot yet. :( I also want to think out the whole story before I actually upload it since this one was just like bam-idea-omgwhydon'tiwriteafanfic. I want to do something that doesn't involve action...because it is SO HARD TO WRITE. :( I was thinking maybe a school story, but it's hard since Sakura and Itachi are five years apart. ; ; Yeah. Okay. So, if I do a school story, I need to come up with a good plot, especially since there are so many generic ones out there. :| I don't know. I could also just use SasuSaku instead...but...I dunno. They're not my OTP anymore. :( Oh, but I also think that it would be interesting writing about Miyuki, Asuma, Shisui, Seina, Akai and Mamoru too, but I feel like no one will read it since they're all OCs. Sigh. All these problems.**


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